PCB retains four out of five selectors for men's team

The PCB has quietened speculation about wholesale changes to the current selection committee, with four of the five men retaining their posts. These are Azhar Ali, Asad Shafiq, Aaqib Javed and former umpire Aleem Dar.

The only change is Usman Hashmi replacing Hassan Cheema as the data analyst. Unlike Cheema, Hashmi will not be a voting member and will only assist the selection committee.

Reports of significant changes, or even a complete disbanding, of the committee were widespread enough for the PCB to issue a statement denying it. Notably, the statement also appeared to open the door for the head coach and the captain to begin having a say - if not an explicit voting right - on matters of selection. "The selection committee is bound to discuss with the head coach and captain of [the respective] formats before finalising the team," the statement said.

In October, when the selection committee was announced, the PCB revoked the captain and coach's right to vote on selection matters, leading to some frustration. It was given voice most notably by Jason Gillespie, Pakistan's Test coach then, who complained he had been reduced to the role of "match-day analyst", stating it was "not what [he had] signed up for". Both he and white-ball coach Gary Kirsten exited in the following weeks.

That there was no significant change to the committee is almost notable in itself, given the frequency with which the PCB has changed the selectors in recent years. Since August 2021, Pakistan has used 26 different selectors for the men's national side.

Pakistan's next international assignment is in July, when they travel to Bangladesh for a T20I series.