PCB chairman Mohsin Naqvi questions Pakistan’s talent depth

Naqvi, who is said to have said that the Pakistan team needed a “major overhaul” following their disastrous T20 World Cup campaign, now seems to be sensing the power of the system that will make drastic measures impossible. “The problem is that the committee that selects the team does not have a clue when selecting the players,” he said. “I talked about surgery because we need to fix our problems. But when we look at how to solve them, we don’t have solid data or a pool of players to draw from. The whole system has been a mess. The Champions Cup will produce great talent, and we will have records of games that happen. To operate, you need all the tools to do it. “

Domestic records exist in Pakistan, and have been the main method of selection for international teams. Although Naqvi did not specify the type of data he wants, he believes that the Champions Cup will provide data and records that are better equipped to inform the selection in the future.

“We had many players whose records we did not have,” said Naqvi. “This cup will strengthen domestic cricket, we will have 150 players, then there is an operation that needs to be done, the selection committee will do it. People say ‘do everything today, cut the throat of four or five players, and remove them’.

“These 150 players are selected, 80% of them are made by AI (Artificial intelligence), and 20% are using humans. No one can argue with that. We gave our selection committee about 20% weight. If we block a player. if there is something worse, you will be the first to complain. We will have records and we will all be able to see clearly who deserves a place in the team.”

As the Pakistani side struggled through the formats, the scrutiny on several members of the team continued to grow. But decades of neglect of the home layout, which continues to be chopped and changed depending on the whims and fancies of whoever happens to be in charge of the PCB, has put pressure on systems designed to deliver players. Two of the three top scorers in last year’s Quaid-e-Azam Trophy were veterans Sarfaraz Ahmed and Asad Shafiq, with no player under the age of 25 in the top five. Pakistan have also struggled to bring in a quality spin bowler, with Abrar Ahmed the only viable option and the red-ball domestic tournaments coming up empty.

“The Champions Cup will end in September, then everyone’s records will be there,” said Naqvi. “Anyone who doesn’t play will be replaced immediately. It shouldn’t come down to anyone’s opinions and wishes.”

It is not clear exactly how this will happen, however. The upcoming edition of the Champions Cup is a one-day tournament, where Pakistan meet immediately following the three-match Test series against England. Player selection for the Champions Cup will involve calling up players in one format after impressive performances in the other, which has not always worked for Pakistan in the past.

Naqvi also tried to defend the selection committee against Pakistan’s accusations of choosing to play the top spinner in the Rawalpindi Test, insisting that it was the decision of the captain, coach and team management.

“Losing Bangladesh is sad but the selection committee had given 17 players to the team. If the coach or the captain does not play some of them, that is their decision. The club management may have made a mistake, but that has nothing to do with it. selection committee.”

The second Test, which Pakistan must win to avoid losing the series, will be held from August 30 to September 3 in Rawalpindi.