Wasim Jaffer resigns as Uttarakhand coach due to 'interference and bias of selectors'

Former India opener Wasim Jaffer has resigned as Uttarakhand’s head coach due to “interference in team selection”. Jaffer took the decision just days before the start of the Vijay Hazare Trophy which is scheduled to get underway on February 20. Cricket Association of Uttarakhand (CAU) has accepted his resignation.

In a strongly-worded e-mail written to CAU, Jaffer expressed his displeasure over the state of the association. The Mumbai and Vidarbha legend started by saying that he felt bad for the players who were denied the opportunity to learn from him. Jaffer further alleged that the state association is marred by ‘so much interference and bias of selectors. Jaffer also alleged that the biased selectors selected non-deserving players in the team.

“It’s with great sadness that I’m writing this email to inform you all that I would be resigning from the post of head coach of senior CAU team with immediate effect. If the honorary secretary of CAU would want to inculcate such kind of work environment while not letting me take certain decisions pertaining to the team’s welfare and performance… then I don’t think there’s any valid reason for me to continue as head coach of men’s senior team of CAU , he wrote in the e-mail to the association.

“I feel really sad for the players as I genuinely think that they have lots of potential and can learn so much from me but are denied this opportunity because of so much interference and bias of selectors and secretary in the selection matters for non-deserving players,” added Wasim Jaffer.

CAU denies allegations by Wasim Jaffer

While accepting Jaffer’s resignation, CAU has denied his allegations against the association. CAU’s secretary Mahim Verma rejected Jaffer’s claims. He stated that Jaffer was given everything he had asked for since being appointed as the state team’s coach. The CAU officials were also not happy with the team’s performance in the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy.

Jaffer was indeed given the green light to pick his own support staff by the association after taking over as the coach in March last year. However, Jaffer and his fellow coaches failed to make an impression in the recently-concluded Syed Mushtaq Ali tournament where Uttarakhand managed to win just one game out of the five they played.

“We gave him whatever he asked for, had a pre season camp for a month, let him choose his outstation players, trainer and bowling coach but his interference in selection matters was getting too much,” Verma was quoted as saying by CricketNext.

“After the result in Mushtaq Ali did not meet our expectations, the selectors wanted to try out a few other players but he kept insisting on picking his own team which is not right as selectors are there, too, to do their job,” Verma added.