PCB mess

PAKISTAN cricket is in a state of turmoil — all the way from the boardroom to the field. Several decisions have been taken since Pakistan’s mauling at the hands of England in Multan on Friday. Whether those knee-jerk reactions, especially the reconstitution of the selection committee and its subsequent decision to drop several stars, have worked will be known when Pakistan play against England in the second match of the series, which begins today. It is also to be held in Multan, where the Pakistan Cricket Board was lambasted for laying a placid pitch, which did not help the bowlers. The same pitch is set to feature in the second Test, with the PCB apparently trying to make use of the wear and tear of the surface during the first game. But in a bid to arrest Pakistan’s sliding fortunes — the team has lost six Tests in a row — greater focus is on the decisions made by the selection committee, which has opted to rest star batter Babar Azam and fast bowlers Shaheen Shah Afridi and Naseem Shah for the last two Tests. The remake of the selection committee, with umpire Aleem Dar added to it alongside former cricketers Aaqib Javed and Azhar Ali had raised eyebrows — since August 2021, there have been 26 different selectors for the national team, highlighting the inconsistency in the PCB’s management decisions. Part of the reason lies in the continuous change at the helm — but it bears mentioning that since taking over as chairman, Mohsin Naqvi has reconstituted the committee thrice.
Aaqib hoped that resting the trio would help them regain their form but the decision also indicates that the newest iteration of the selection committee is stamping its authority by dropping three star players from a series in which Pakistan is already trailing. Babar’s omission is a surprise; captain Shan Masood and coach Jason Gillespie had backed him despite his recent lean run — he has not even scored half a century in the last nine Tests. Lack of organisation and planning has hurt Pakistan cricket. Cosmetic measures have not helped either; it is amply evident after Pakistan’s struggles across all formats of the game that an overhaul is needed to revive a collapsing structure. The PCB’s short-term focus at the moment seems to be on salvaging something from the England series. The next few days will show whether it has made the right moves.
Published in Dawn, October 15th, 2024