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Saturday, April 27, 2024  
18 Shawwal 1445  

PCB reorganises selection committee to give members equal powers

A new selection committee will be announced soon
Pakistan Cricket Board Chairman Mohsin Naqvi addresses a press conference in Lahore on Sunday. Photo via PCB
Pakistan Cricket Board Chairman Mohsin Naqvi addresses a press conference in Lahore on Sunday. Photo via PCB

Pakistan Cricket Board Chairman Mohsin Naqvi announced on Sunday his decision that the national selection committee would be reorganised without a chairman.

Speaking at a press conference in Lahore on Sunday, Naqvi said the committee would include Wahab Riaz, Abdul Razzaq, Muhammad Yousaf and Asad Shafiq.

The committee will also include the national team’s head coach and captain as well as a data analytics expert.

The committee will soon announce probables for a two-week training camp to be held at army base Kakul from Monday, Naqvi said.

The news of the committee’s dissolution and reorganization comes a day after Chairman Moshin Naqvi met Riaz to discuss team selection for the upcoming series with New Zealand.

A news report from Saturday also indicated that Naqvi was seemingly involved in the details of which player was to be selected for the team, a role that chairmen have not traditionally played.

The report also hinted that Riaz does not enjoy Naqvi’s trust due to how the former had included Salman Butt in the national squad only to remove him under public pressure.

Riaz had been appointed by former Chairman Zaka Ashraf while also holding the charge of Punjab’s interim sports minister.

Naqvi has repeatedly stressed that he wants the team to be selected on merit.

Pakistan are without a head coach following their disastrous World Cup (50 overs) in India last year where they failed to qualify for the semi-finals.

Afterwards, Babar Azam stepped down from captaincy of all formats and was replaced by Shan Masood as Test captain and Shaheen Shah Afridi as T20I captain.

The then-head coach Mickey Arthur was replaced by team director Mohammad Hafeez under whom Pakistan suffered a 3-0 Test whitewash in Australia and a 4-1 series defeat in a T20I series in New Zealand.

Naqvi on Sunday left open whether Shaheen will be retained as captain, saying the selection committee will make a final decision on its T20I captain after the training camp.

The chairman also announced the restoration of a central contract for fast bowler Haris Rauf, who was suspended last month after he refused to play Tests in Australia.

“Rauf has stated that there was some misunderstanding so we have restored his central contract,” said Naqvi.

Pakistan will play five T20Is against New Zealand at home followed by two in Ireland and four in England before featuring in the World Cup.

(With input from AFP)

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Mohsin Naqvi

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