Following Pakistan’s humiliating performance in the ICC Champions Trophy 2025, Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) officials are deeply engaged in strategizing the team’s future.
According to a private TV channel, the future of senior players who have been consistently selected based on records appears uncertain. Retaining their spots in the team has become difficult for players like Babar Azam, Shaheen Shah Afridi, Naseem Shah, and Haris Rauf. Middle-order batter Tayyab Tahir is also facing serious threats to his place in the squad.
Cricket analysts are questioning why, despite four PCB chairmen, eight coaches, and 26 selectors being changed over the past three years, senior players remain part of the team despite repeated failures.
Reports suggest that a group of seven to eight players within the team is allegedly involved in pressuring the board through blackmailing tactics to get their demands fulfilled. Eliminating this specific group is the biggest challenge for PCB officials and Chairman Mohsin Naqvi.
Sources indicate that after announcing Pakistan’s 15-member squad for the Champions Trophy, the PCB twice suggested that the selection committee review the squad. However, selectors and captain Mohammad Rizwan ignored the advice. The selectors remained firm on their decisions, and reliable sources claim that upon Chairman Mohsin Naqvi’s insistence, the selection committee held a one-and-a-half-hour meeting in the National Cricket Academy’s boardroom, but no progress was made. They were advised to replace two to three players and include an additional spinner, but the suggestion was dismissed.
Before the match against India, PCB officials recommended that Usman Khan be played as an opener instead of Imam-ul-Haq, as Usman Khan has extensive experience playing in UAE conditions. However, Mohammad Rizwan and the selectors stood firm on their decision and refused to make the change.
Sources state that Chairman Mohsin Naqvi’s current focus is entirely on the Champions Trophy, after which the Pakistan team is set to travel to New Zealand for a white-ball series. The first T20I is scheduled for March 16 in Christchurch.
It is claimed that while immediate drastic changes are unlikely, squad modifications are inevitable. The decision regarding changes in the selection committee and other key positions will be made after the New Zealand tour.
Meanwhile, Head Coach Aaqib Javed is reportedly interested in taking up the Director’s role at the National Cricket Academy. The current Director, Nadeem Khan, is expected to join a PSL franchise next month.
