Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) chief Mohsin Naqvi blamed bad selection calls by the coach and captain for the team's abysmal performance. Pakistan faced an embarrassing 10-wicket defeat against Bangladesh in the first Test at Rawalpindi. Naqvi didn’t just blame the team management and captain Shan Masood and head coach Jason Gillespie but also defended the selection committee. He said that the selection committee selected 17 players but Masood and team management stuck with their XI which put up a horrible display in Rawalpindi.
"Losing to Bangladesh is sad but the selection committee had given the team 17 players. If the coach or captain aren't playing some of them, that's their decision. The team management may have made a mistake, but that has nothing to do with the selection committee," Naqvi was quoted as saying ESPNCricinfo.
Spinner Abrar Ahmed was released from the squad along with Kamran Ghulam to play for Pakistan Shaheens whereas experienced campaigner Sarfaraz Ahmed warmed the benches.
Naqvi also talked about the issues selection committee faced while choosing players from a limited talent pool in the country. Naqvi is hopeful that the upcoming inaugural edition of domestic tournament, the One-Day Champions Cup will provide a solution to the persisting problem.
"The problem is the selection committee has no pool to turn to from which to select players. I spoke of surgery because we need to fix our problems. But when we look at how to resolve them, we don't have any solid data or player pool which we can draw from. The whole system was a mess. The Champions Cup will produce great talent, and we'll have records for the games that happen. For surgery, you need all the tools to perform it," added Naqvi.
Naqvi against sudden changes
He further talked about the criticism and scrutiny the team has faced within 24 hours and how calls for sudden changes in the team after the loss are unwarranted.
"This Cup will make domestic cricket strong, we'll have a pool of 150 players, and then the surgery we need to be done, the selection committee will do. People said 'do it all today, slit the throats of four-five players, and get rid of them'. You can't dump someone unless you have a better one to replace them," the 45-year-old added.
Pakistan will face Bangladesh in the second Test at the same venue from August 30. Pakistan have not won a Test on their home soil in 1,294 days. They are currently ranked eighth on World Test Championship (2023-25) table while Bangladesh are in sixth place after their historic win.
Five high-profile mentors for domestic teams
Naqvi on August 26 also announced five mentors for as many domestic teams which will compete in next month's One-Day Cup. Misbah-ul-Haq, Saqlain Mushtaq, Sarfaraz Ahmed, Shoaib Malik and Waqar Younis have been given three-year contracts for mentor role.
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