In this image published on October 13, 2024, PCB Chairman Mohsin Naqvi presides over a meeting. — reporter
LAHORE: The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) has decided to complete the evaluation of the performance and fitness of new players by the end of the ongoing three-match Test series against England.
PCB Chairman Mohsin Naqvi held another meeting with the mentors on Sunday and later met jointly with the selection committee and mentors to review the team’s recent performance and the fitness of the players.
The two-hour meeting took place after the national team suffered six straight defeats in red-ball format, suffering a crushing defeat against England’s big team who scored a total of 823 points, and lost the first Test by an innings margin of 47 runs. Ta. Multan Cricket Stadium.
The home series is part of the ICC World Test Championship 2023-25 and with the Green Shirts currently ranked ninth, Shan Masood’s side will need to improve to protect their chances in the tournament. be.
Since Friday’s defeat, the board has already made changes to the members of the national selection committee, including former cricketer Aqib Javed, former captain Azhar Ali and former International Cricket Council (ICC) umpire Aleem Dar. was added to the committee.
Additionally, Mr. Hassan Cheema was also approved by the Board as a new addition to the Committee. Meanwhile, right-handed batsman Asad Shafiq remained a member of the committee.
During the meeting, PCB Chairman Naqvi and the mentors agreed to complete the process of evaluating the performance and fitness of new players by the end of the ongoing series.
The selection committee and mentors also provided suggestions on related issues, while the PCB director directed improvements to the quality of the pitches.
The meeting included selection committee members Javed, Ali, Dar and Cheema, advisor Bilal Afzal, Director of Domestic Cricket Abdullah Khurram Niazi, Director of High Performance Center Nadeem Khan, mentors Shoaib Malik, Misbah-ul-L. Haq, Waqar Younis and Saqlain Mushtaq were present. .
Meanwhile, mentor Sarfaraz Ahmed and selection committee member Asad Shafiq participated through video link.
Meanwhile, in another development, sources informed Geo News earlier today that star batsman Babar Azam will be rested for the next match scheduled to start in Multan on Tuesday, October 15. It is said that there is a high possibility.
Sources said the selection committee suggested resting the “unwell” former captain due to his below-par performance in the first Test match against the England side.
Moreover, the addition of two spinners to the team’s active eleven is likely to be considered, including the names of left-arm spinner Noman Ali and off-spinner Sajid Khan.