Pakistan's former cricketer and part of elite panel of ICC umpires, Aleem Dar, has reportedly stepped down from his role as selector in Pakistan Cricket Board's (PCB) national selection committee. The decision came after Pakistan's Super 8 departure from the ICC Men's T20 World Cup 2026. Now, a new report has emerged, claiming that Dar was frustrated by head coach Mike Hesson's calls when it came to selection. He didn’t want Babar Azam and Shadab Khan in the squad but Hesson met little resistance from other selectors in the panel – Asad Shafiq and Aaqib Javed.
“Aleem is very upset that when the World Cup squad was being selected he had resisted the inclusion of Babar Azam and Shadab Khan in the squad without any performance but Hesson insisted on having them,” the source told the PTI.
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In the T20 World Cup 2026, Babar batted out of position. He couldn’t excel in the middle over. The only game Pakistan won at the Super 8 stage was when Babar was dropped and Fakhar Zaman wreaked havoc alongside Sahibzada Farhan. On the other hand, Shadab was inconsistent with both bat and ball.
Yardstick different for Rizwan? Dar wanted Usman Khan dropped
In addition, Dar had called for inclusion of former captain and wicketkeeper-batter Mohammad Rizwan in place of Usman Khan, pointing out the selection criteria for Babar and Shadab. However, he did not get the support from others in the selection panel.
“Aleem had also insisted that when Babar and Shadab could be called in without performance, Muhammad Rizwan should be included in place of Usman Khan because of his experience but no one supported him,” the source added.
Rizwan has been out of the T20I side since December 2024. He has fallen off the selectors’ radar. A lacklustre Big Bash League (BBL) season for Melbourne Renegades did not help his chances either. His strike rate was a big talking point during his maiden BBL season.
Meanwhile, there have been reports that PCB has decided to fine each non-performing player from the squad PKR 50 lakh. The decision was taken after their comprehensive loss to India but came into effect after their World Cup exit.