Need better selection accountability - PCB review panel

The PCB-appointed performance review committee suggested that the country's cricket body ensure 'accountability' in the system and carry out objective appraisals of players and support staff after every tour.

PCB had constituted an autonomous review committee, comprising two independent members, Wasim Bari and Iqbal Qasim, PCB chairman Shaharyar Khan, executive committee head Najam Sethi and chief operating officer Subhan Ahmad to assess the 2015 World Cup performance. They met on Friday at Gaddafi Stadium in Lahore to chalk out their assessment.

The role of the committee, however, is unclear and the suggestions made are merely recommendatory with their implementation not made mandatory. The committee highlighted four aspects required to strengthen the team: strategic thinking, fielding and fitness, pick-and-stick policy and positive team culture.

The committee also singled out accountability as the significant factor that would help determine the team's performances. It's something that Pakistan's system has lacked as evidenced from how players dropped for one series on the basis of performance return in another without meeting the selection criteria. Selection has especially been inconsistent in limited-overs series.

The review committee insisted on the pick-and-stick approach to ensure a player selected received ample opportunities to showcase his ability. Recently, Pakistan picked Sami Aslam, a promising opener who impressed during the Test series against Bangladesh, but was dropped for no reason. Mohammad Sami is another example: having been selected out of nowhere for the Zimbabwe series at home, he now faces the axe ahead of the ODI series against Sri Lanka next month.

The selection committee that selects a pool of 15 or more players for a series has always distanced itself from the result, leaving the responsibility of naming the final XI to the team management. However, neither the coach nor the captain take responsibility, and according to PCB's policy, neither has a vote in selecting the squad. Such a situation has led to nobody taking ownership.

The review committee met for the second time this week after its earlier meeting barely lasted 15 minutes. The committee was meant to review the World Cup where Pakistan lost in the quarterfinal. The independent members, according to PCB, have been asked to assess the Bangladesh tour as well, where Pakistan lost all the three ODIs and one T20.

"The Committee unanimously decided to expand the scope of their review to include Pakistan's dismal tour in Bangladesh and reiterated the purpose of the review being to establish reasons for the below par performance and to suggest ways to improve upon such performances," PCB said in a press release. "The Committee agreed that it was important to undertake a review of the players and support staff performance after every tour as a measure of assessment and there should be accountability at every stage."