PCB chief announces ‘reorganised’ selection committee comprising 7 members with equal powers

Pakistan Cricket Board Chairman Mohsin Naqvi on Sunday announced a “reorganised” men’s national selection committee comprising seven members with equal powers.

Addressing a press conference at Lahore’s Gaddafi Stadium, Naqvi said that the selection committee had been “reorganised” and would now comprise of seven members.

He said that the committee would no longer have a chairman and all seven members would have equal powers. “They will take decisions on a majority basis […] so that we can go towards a better conclusion,” he said.

Naqvi was joined at the press conference by Wahab Riaz, Mohammad Yousuf, Asad Shafique and Abdul Razzaq, all of whom the PCB chief said were part of the new committee.

Naqvi said that the captain of the Pakistan team as well as the head coach would also be members of the selection committee alongside a “data person”.

“So this selection committee will take all future decisions […] I told them yesterday as well that the [PCB] chairman will not have any input in selecting the team. We are management people [and] we have to manage things. They are the professionals […] and I am hopeful they will give us a good result,” he said.

Naqvi further said work was under way to find a new coach for the Green Shirts. “We will come to you and tell you the day it is finalised,” he said.

However, he refused to give any information till the matter was finalised. The PCB chief said that the board was in talks with one coach, which was played up in the media to such an extent that “he got so worried that he ran away”.

He called on the people to wait for “four to five days”, asserting that the PCB would bring in a “dream team” with regard to coaching staff.

Earlier in the day, a spokesperson for the PCB had said that the men’s national selection committee had been dissolved. The spokesperson had said a new committee would be selected soon, adding that it would take decisions based on merit and performance.

“The new selection committee’s decisions on merit will be in front of everyone to see,” the spokesperson had added.

During his press conference, the PCB chief was also asked about Imad Wasim taking back his retirement from international cricket and saying he was available for the upcoming T20 World Cup

Naqvi said that for the upcoming T20 World Cup, the team needed to be at full strength, which was why Imad was called back.

He also talked about pace ace Haris Rauf, saying that his contract had been restored. Haris’ contract was terminated by the PCB in February following a probe into his alleged refusal to join Pakistan’s Test squad for the tour of Australia 2023-24.

Naqvi also asserted that the PCB’s funds would be spent on improving the team and ensuring the “betterment of cricket”. “

Responding to a question, Naqvi said that he was hopeful that more teams would be added to the Pakistan Super League (PSL) and that a women’s cricket league would come to fruition.

He noted that previous chairmen had promised a women’s league. “Give me a few months and you will see the results,” Naqvi said.

The previous national selection committee was headed by Riaz and also included Tauseef Ahmed, Wajahatullah Wasti and Wasim Haider. Kamran Akmal and Rao Iftikhar Anjum were consultant members while Hassan Muzaffar Cheema was the manager analytics and team strategy.

Last week, Naqvi had hinted at changes to the selection committee during a press conference at the PSL final.

“I might be making some changes in that committee, but I believe that the selection committee should be empowered enough to be able to take these important decisions,” the chairman said.

It should be mentioned that Naqvi had met with Riaz at the Board’s headquarters in Lahore on Friday. During the meeting, which took place to select squads for the upcoming series against New Zealand, Riaz presented detailed reports on player performance from the recently-concluded ninth edition of PSL.

According to a PCB press release, Naqvi, also the nation’s interior minister, wished to assemble a pool of players “based on merit and performance,” including top performers from the domestic cricket extravaganza.

The ninth edition of the T20 World Cup runs from June 1-29. The expanded 20-team tournament is being jointly held by the United States and the West Indies and will get under way on June 1 at the Grand Prairie Cricket Stadium in Dallas, Texas, when the US take on Canada, both teams making their first appearances at a T20 World Cup.

A new venue 30 miles east of downtown Manhattan will host the big clash between India and Pakistan on Sunday, June 9 — one of eight games to be held at the 34,000-seat modular stadium being built in Nassau County.

A total of 16 games will be held in the United States — the first time that a major international cricket tournament is held in the country.

Lauderhill in South Florida, the most established cricket venue in the US, will host games featuring India, Pakistan and Sri Lanka.

Pakistan’s build-up to the T20 World Cup commences with yet another series against New Zealand, this time at home, as they face the Kiwis for five T20I matches in Rawalpindi and Lahore from April 18.