The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) are deliberating over making changes to the Pakistan cricket team’s squad for the ICC Champions Trophy. Having named the 15-man team on January 31, the PCB received heavy criticism.
PCB criticised over ICC Champions Trophy squad
The decision to pick Faheem Ashraf over Aamer Jamal didn’t go too well with two former Pakistan captains, Wasim Akram and Rashid Latif. The latter labelled Fahim’s selection as a ‘political pick.‘ Both are all-rounders, but unlike Jamal, who played against Zimbabwe in November last year, Faheem’s last ODI match came in September 2023.
Khushdil Shah, who hasn’t played for Pakistan since October 2023 and whose last ODI came in August 2022, has been added as Saim Ayub’s replacement. This decision by the PCB didn’t win any fans either. Outspoken former opener Ahmad Shahzad wasn’t too pleased with the team. He didn’t like that two new openers had come out of nowhere, that there was just one main spinner in the squad, and accused some players of being adjusted into the team at the behest of others.
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Will PCB make changes to Pakistan’s squad?
The PCB might be influenced by such loud voices. According to Cricket Pakistan, a data-driven approach was behind the selection, and that’s why the balance of the team looks off. Even the selectors weren’t 100% sold on the squad, and that’s why PCB Chairman Mohsin Naqvi didn’t announce the squad himself, despite holding a press conference the very same day.
Naqvi has left the selectors to their own devices. If they wish to make the changes, they can do so, but Naqvi won’t force them into doing anything. Will PCB/selectors name a new squad following criticism by caving to the outside pressure, or will they back themselves? We shall know the answer as February 11 is the ICC deadline for the final squad. Post that, changes to the team can also be made due to injury or by getting approval from ICC’s technical committee.
Pakistan’s squad for ICC Champions Trophy
Mohammad Rizwan (c & wk), Babar Azam, Fakhar Zaman, Kamran Ghulam, Saud Shakeel, Tayyab Tahir, Faheem Ashraf, Khushdil Shah, Salman Ali Agha (vc), Usman Khan, Abrar Ahmed, Haris Rauf, Mohammad Hasnain, Naseem Shah and Shaheen Shah Afridi
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