The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) has retained former players Mohammad Yousuf and Asad Shafiq in the revamped selection committee, tasked with choosing the squads for the upcoming home Test series against Bangladesh. This decision arrives in the wake of the recent sacking of Wahab Riaz and Abdul Razzaq following Pakistan’s disappointing performance in the T20 World Cup. Despite the team’s struggles, the PCB opted to keep Yousuf and Shafiq, both of whom were members of the previous selection committee that chose the World Cup squad. Yousuf previously held the position of batting coach for the Pakistan team, while Wahab also served as the senior team manager on tours to Ireland, England, and during the World Cup.
The new committee structure includes the captains and head coaches of the red and white-ball teams, granting all members, including Yousuf and Shafiq, voting rights and decision-making authority. A notable addition to the committee is the inclusion of non-voting members, consisting of assistant team coach Azhar Mahmood and four PCB board members/employees. These individuals include advisor to PCB Chairman Bilal Afzal, Manager of Analytics and Team Strategy Hassan Cheema, Director of High-Performance Nadeem Khan, and Director of International Cricket Usman Wahla.
The restructured committee will be responsible for selecting the squad for the two-Test series against Bangladesh, which is a significant part of the World Test Championship (WTC) 2023-25 cycle. Bangladesh will face Pakistan in two Tests, with the first scheduled in Rawalpindi from August 21-25 and the second in Karachi from August 30-September 3. The PCB’s decision to retain Yousuf and Shafiq while dismissing other members of the previous selection committee has generated debate within the cricket community. It remains to be seen how the newly formed committee will perform in the upcoming series and the impact it will have on Pakistan’s performance in the WTC cycle.
