Pakistan Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif directed Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) chairman Mohsin Naqvi to select players and officials based on merit after Pakistan's poor outing in the T20 World Cup 2024 where Babar Azam-led side failed to qualify for the Super 8. Pakistan Cricket team has been on a downfall since T20 World Cup 2022 final where they lost the title decider against England in Australia.
Pakistan is currently focussing on the upcoming two-Test match series against Bangladesh starting from August 21. This will be the first outing of Pakistan after T20 World Cup. The cricket board is yet to announce the squad for the upcoming series. Shaheen Shah Afridi will likely to miss the Test matches against Bangladesh.
During an address at the Gaddafi Stadium in Lahore, where he attended an upgrade ceremony, Sharif directed PCB Chairman Mohsin Naqvi to focus on overhauling the cricket team. He stressed that team selections should be based solely on merit and advised Naqvi to resist any political or external pressures that might compromise this principle.
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"You should reform the cricket team and choose people based on merit, which is your specialty," Sharif told Naqvi quoted cricket Pakistan.
"Even if the prime minister recommends someone which goes against merit, you should politely decline it," he further added.
The Prime Minister also highlighted the importance of improving the domestic cricket system. He expressed satisfaction with the ongoing modernization of the Gaddafi Stadium, which is being upgraded to meet modern standards.
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