PCB chief Naqvi set to remove Pakistan chief selector Aaqib Javed in 'wider clean-up'

In a major shake-up in Pakistan Cricket following the Lord’s Test loss against England, the PCB chief Mohsin Naqvi is set to remove the country’s chief selector Aaqib Javed as part of a ‘wider clean-up’ exercise. After dropping seven first-team players and releasing two coaches after conceding the ongoing Test series in the UK, the axe has fallen on Javed, who chairs the selection committee and is being publicly held responsible by several experts and former players for Pakistan cricket’s downfall.

The PCB took a shocking call by sending home seven players and two coaches midway through England Tests, including Salman Ali Agha, who took over the skipper’s hat in the series opener in regular captain Babar Azam's absence. After Babar attained full fitness in time for the second Test, he replaced Agha in the playing XI, before Pakistan sent the white-ball captain home, alongside first-team keeper Mohammad Rizwan and underfire opener Imam-ul-Haq.

While Rizwan’s poor returns with the bat across four innings led to his exile, Imam’s left-calf strain and reports of him faking injuries earlier to avoid playing forced him out of the squad. Meanwhile, PCB’s latest decision to remove Javed has also raised questions over Pakistan’s selection policy and team management.

"Aaqib is also likely to be told to focus on his role as Director Development at the Lahore High-Performance Centre,” a source close to the information said to PTI.

The source also said that the decision to send back Rizwan, Imam and Salman was also part of PCB’s wider clean-up plan. The shocking development here was that form alone was not the main reason behind axing Rizwan and Imam from the Test squad mid-tour.

“The rest of the players sent back were done so on the recommendation of interim red-ball head coach Mike Hesson, who wanted to try out some players he had worked with in the white-ball camp,” the source added.

Changes in the Selection Committee

Shortly after the PCB decided to overhaul the squad after the Lord’s Test defeat, former Pakistan captain Misbah-ul-Haq, also part of the four-member selection committee, tendered his resignation.

The PCB, however, did not accept his resignation until it sent a show-cause notice to the selection committee over the selection of Rizwan and Imam in two away series (West Indies and England), urging a response within 24 hours.

The third Test begins on September 9 at Edgbaston in Birmingham.