PCB mulling changes to the selection committee in T20 World Cup post-mortem: Reports
The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) is reportedly considering trimming its seven-member national selection committee, and reinstating the position of a chief within the setup. The squad selection has been cited as one of the major factors behind the Men in Green's humiliating exit in the group stages of the 2024 T20 World Cup.
The incumbent selection committee was chosen only three months before, and did not have a designated chief assigned. All seven members, including former bowler Wahab Riaz and PCB president Mohsin Naqvi, carried an equal vote. Prior to that, the selection committee was led by Wahab Riaz, and such a system might be restored, according to a report by ESPN Cricinfo.
It is to be noted that even if the system returns, it does not mean that Riaz will win back his former position as chief. There is still a degree of confusion since the majority are not familiar with the concept of a selection committee sans a chief. With Riaz being the former head, he has copped a lot of blame for some of the decisions like choosing to pick players not up to the task or candidates that have come out of retirement.
Apart from not being considered as the chief, there is a strong possibility that Riaz may be booted from the committee altogether, with the PCB chairman holding the decision in his grasp.
PCB to take their time to decide Babar Azam's captaincy fate
Babar Azam and PCB have left the integral decision of white-ball captaincy to one other, but the latter are not in search of an immediate answer. This is particularly because Pakistan's next white-ball contest has been scheduled for November and their next priority is the 2025 Champions Trophy on home soil.
Whether it be Babar Azam who is eventually retained as skipper or the new leadership candidate, the ultimate precedence will be given to the ICC event. The Men in Green cannot afford another debacle at the big stage, particularly on home soil.
The report also mentions that PCB will be looking into where the players stand in the national contract categories, and changes could be made taking recent performances into consideration. Although there will not be changes in the provisions such as the NOC-rule, players could be moved up and down, or altogether removed from the central contract list.