PCB has clarified the rumors about big changes in the men’s selection committee. Four out of five members will continue to be part of the committee: Azhar Ali, Asad Shafiq, Aaqib Javed and former umpire Aleem Dar. The only change is Usman Hashmi who will be the new data analyst replacing Hassan Cheema. Unlike Cheema, Hashmi won’t have voting rights and will only be part of the committee’s discussions.
There were talks of a major overhaul and PCB denied it. Interestingly they mentioned that the head coach and captain of each format will be involved in the selection process moving forward. The selection committee will discuss with head coach and captain of respective formats before finalizing the team, the statement said.
When this selection committee was formed in October, PCB took away the voting rights of captain and coaching staff which upset many. Jason Gillespie who was the Test coach at that time openly criticized this decision saying it turned him into just a match-day analyst which wasn’t what he signed up for. Soon after he and white-ball coach Gary Kirsten left their roles.
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It’s surprising that the committee is mostly the same, especially after Pakistan cricket has changed its selectors so frequently. Since August 2021, there have been 26 different selectors for the men’s national team. Pakistan’s next challenge will be a T20I series in Bangladesh in July.
