Former Pakistan cricketers Salman Butt, Kamran Akmal and Rao Iftikhar join chief selector Wahab Riaz as consultant members
The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) has appointed former cricketers Kamran Akmal, Rao Iftikhar Anjum, and Salman Butt as consultant members to chief selector Wahab Riaz. All three were part of Pakistan's 2009 T20 World Cup title-winning side.
Akmal, Iftikhar, and Butt will commence in their role immediately. Their first assignment will be the five-match T20I series in New Zealand, following the three Tests in Australia.
The PCB has also added that the newly appointed trio will perform additional duties like conducting skill camps when not engaged in selection.
While Akmal and Iftikhar Anjum have held selection responsibilities before, this will be Butt's first official role with the PCB since his return from the ban for his role in the spot-fixing scandal in 2010.
Following the 2023 ODI World Cup debacle, Mohammad Hafeez and Wahab Riaz have been appointed the team director and chief selector, respectively. Hafeez will also perform the head coaching role for the Australia and New Zealand tours.
Babar Azam also relinquished captaincy from all formats in the aftermath of the World Cup. Shan Masood has been named the new Test captain, while Shaheen Afridi will take over as the T20I captain.
Pakistan will look to win their first-ever Test series win down under
Pakistan will look to win their first-ever Test series in Australia in the upcoming three-match series, starting in Perth on December 14.
Coming off a disappointing Asia Cup and World Cup campaign, new captain Shan Masood will lead an 18-member squad looking to overhaul Australia at their fortress. While speedster Naseem Shah continues to be out due to injury, Saim Ayub and Khurram Shahzad have received their maiden Test team call-ups.
Pakistan suffered a 0-2 drubbing the last time they toured Australia in 2019-20 and lost the previous red-ball series between the sides 0-1 at home in 2021-22.
To further worsen matters, the Men in Green have lost an embarrassing 14 consecutive Tests in Australia. Their last win down under came in the final game of the 1995-95 series.
Pakistan's last red-ball campaign saw them whitewash Sri Lanka in a two-Test series in July. The Aussies last played red-ball cricket during the 2-2 drawn Ashes series in England.