PCB Clarifies Selection Committee Structure

The PCB has put an end to rumors that the current selection committee would undergo significant changes, as four of the five men are still on the committee.

Azhar Ali, Asad Shafiq, Aaqib Javed, and former umpire Aleem Dar are the four committee members who remain. The sole modification is that Hassan Cheema has been replaced as the data analyst by Usman Hashmi. Hashmi, in contrast to Cheema, will just support the selection committee and not participate in voting.

There were enough reports of the committee's major modifications or perhaps dissolution that the PCB released a statement refuting the rumors. Notably, the declaration also seemed to pave the way for the captain and head coach to start having a voice in selection decisions, if not a formal voting power.

The PCB removed the captain and coach's ability to vote on selection issues when the selection committee was revealed in October last year, which caused some annoyance. Most notably, Jason Gillespie, Pakistan's Test coach at the time, voiced his displeasure at being demoted to the position of "match-day analyst," saying it was "not what he signed up for." In the weeks that followed, he and white-ball coach Gary Kirsten left.

Pakistan has employed 26 different selectors for the men's national team since August 2021 and will play their next international match in July when they go to Bangladesh for a Twenty20 International series.