The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) has restructured its national selection committee, removing team captains and head coaches from the panel to centralize decision-making within a newly-formed five-member committee.
Led by former fast bowler Aaqib Javed, the panel includes Aleem Dar, Azhar Ali, Asad Shafiq, and Hassan Cheema, who now hold authority over team selection, including the playing eleven.
While captains and coaches will be consulted, they no longer have voting rights.
This change follows Pakistan’s heavy defeat in the first Test against England in Multan.
The new committee’s approach has already shown promise, with debutant Kamran Ghulam scoring a century and spinner Sajid Khan taking seven wickets in the second Test.
However, the decision to drop former captain Babar Azam has sparked some criticism. The committee’s next task is to announce the squads for the upcoming ODI and T20I series in Australia.