The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) have decided to further empower the National Selection Cricket Committee as the 2024 T20 World Cup is nearing, sources told Geo News on Monday.
Newly-appointed chairman of the PCB, Mohsin Naqvi, is of the view that the selection committee should have full authority as he expressed his commitment to staying away from interfering in internal matters.
As per the sources, the selection committee will be given the responsibility of hiring a new coach and choosing the captain of the national team. It was further revealed that the empowered departments will be held accountable for their actions.
Remember, former Pakistani pacer Wahab Riaz is currently leading the Chief Selection of the national selection committee. The sources added that the decision regarding Riaz’s position will also be made soon.
The Pakistan cricket team is currently without a head coach after Team Director Mohammad Hafeez, stepped down at the after the five-match T20I series against New Zealand in January 2024.
The PCB has set a one-week target to find a new coach, despite the urgency, the board is eager to appoint a foreign coach after Shane Watson and Darren Sammy pulled out of the race to become the new manager of the team.
Earlier, The News reported that Sammy declined approaches from the PCB, citing his existing contract with the West Indies board as the head coach of the WI white-ball teams.
With both Sammy and Watson out of contention, the PCB is now expected to consider an interim arrangement for the national team’s supervision during the training camp in Kakul from March 25 to April 8, preceding the home five-match T20 series against New Zealand starting from April 14 in Lahore and Rawalpindi.
Sohail Imran Sohail Imran is a senior reporter for Geo News.
