The PCB changes were a direct response to Pakistan’s humiliation on home soil at the hands of a determined England side. Team Pakistan fans had to stomach an embarrassing innings and 47 runs loss to England in Multan. It was a horrible 5-day outing for Pakistan, and the new changes aim to revamp their struggling team.
PCB Includes Ex-Umpire in New Selection Panel
Desperation to get their cricket back on track has forced the PCB to appoint former umpire Aleem Dar in the new selection committee. It is a first for the PCB, as no umpire has ever been a part of their national selectors since the board’s founding.
Why Aleem Dar?
The PCB appointing Aleem Dar is an interesting decision during this period in their recent turbulent cricket history. The former umpire joins his nation’s cricket selection committee roughly 1 year after leaving his officiating career.
Who are the Other New Members in PCB’s Selection Panel?
Other new faces in Pakistan’s cricket selection committee include ex-Test players Azhar Ali and Aaqib Javed. The new PCB selection panel also includes cricket analyst Hasan Cheema as they aim to work out a fresh team to challenge on all fronts.
Mohammad Yousuf Leaves PCB National Selection Committee
Former Pakistan cricketer Mohammad Yousuf shocked his country’s sporting community after announcing his resignation from the PCB selectors. The veteran sportsman did not cite clear reasons for his exit at a time where the team is in disarray. He was immediately replaced by former Test batsman Asaq Shafiq before Pakistan initiated several changes to their current selectors panel.
Babar Azam and Co. Dropped Ahead of Pakistan’s Second Test vs England
Pakistan’s former red ball captain Babar Azam, ex-T20I captain Shaheen Shah Afridi and senior squad player Naseem Shah are out of the team’s next Test lineup. All three stars will immediately exit Pakistan’s Test training camp before their next meeting with England.
A PCB statement sanctioned by Aaqib Javed clarified reasons behind the omission of star players from their next Test game:
“Selecting the squad for the upcoming Tests against England has been a challenging task for the selectors. We’ve had to carefully consider current player form, the urgency to bounce back in the series and Pakistan’s demanding 2024-25 international schedule.”
The statement also included other omitted names from Pakistan’s list of senior cricketers like Sarfaraz Ahmed, citing the option to rest these players:
“With these factors in mind [player form, urgent revamp, and demanding schedule] and in the best interest of Pakistan cricket as well as the players, we’ve made the decision to rest Babar Azam, Naseem Shah, Sarfaraz Ahmed and Shaheen Shah Afridi.”
Likely Reasons Why Each Senior Player Was Left Out of the 2nd Pakistan Test vs England
Babar Azam
Former Test skipper Babar Azam will not be a part of the Men in Green’s second Test meeting vs England. A tumultuous season has seen Azam wear out with the bat and he hasn’t managed great international performances for almost a year.
Naseem Shah
Shah was rested when Pakistan faced Bangladesh in their second Test encounter. The cricketer will also not be part of Pakistan’s squad to face England in the next Test scheduled at Multan.
Sarfaraz Ahmed
Poor match fitness might be the reason behind leaving out wicketkeeper Sarfaraz Ahmed from Pakistan’s next Test vs England. The cricketer has not been part of Pakistan’s team since December 2023. He could be on a fitness regimen, but there is no report on his potential return date to the squad.
Shaheen Shah Afridi
The PCB’s new selectors likely left out Shaheen Afridi due to his recent woes within the squad. Afridi has not been at his best lately and drops in pace performances directly affects Pakistan’s outings across formats.
The young pacer has had a horrible year of cricket after being touted as one of Pakistan’s best bowlers. He has had to endure a short captaincy spell in white-ball cricket riddled with defeat, alleged clashes with officials, and other issues since 2023.
Abrar Ahmed
Illness is the major reason why Abrar Ahmed will take no further part in Pakistan vs England Test series 2024. The cricketer was present for Pakistan across three days in their first series; however, he missed the last two days due to illness. Medical reports reveal Ahmed is dealing with dengue fever and won’t be available for the Test series remainder.
Pakistan Squad for 2nd and 3rd Test vs England
Shan Masood (c), Saud Shakeel (v-c), Aamer Jamal, Abdullah Shafique, Haseebullah (w-k), Kamran Ghulam, Mehran Mumtaz, Mir Hamza, Mohammad Ali, Mohammad Huraira, Mohammad Rizwan (w-k), Noman Ali, Saim Ayub, Sajid Khan, Salman Ali Agha and Zahid Mehmood.
