A friend from the United States complained to me on the phone. I explained that it wasn’t my personal opinion but part of a report. I fully agree that not only the coach but also the captain, all the players, and the selection committee share equal responsibility for this failure. A coach can only suggest plans,implementing them on the field is the players’ job.
However, it is also true that Hesson exceeded his authority at times. He acted on his own preferences, interfered in on-field decisions and selection matters, and seemed to believe that the best cricketers only came from Islamabad United. Because of this, he has now fallen out of favor with the board officials. He even tried to intervene in the squad selection for the series against Bangladesh, but this time he wasn’t given importance.
Usually after every defeat we criticize the coach, captain, and players but forget about the selection committee. In fact, until a few days ago even I couldn’t recall who the selectors were. When I checked the website of the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB), only the names of Aleem Dar and Asad Shafiq appeared.
No one doubts Aleem Dar’s abilities as an umpire; he has brought great pride to Pakistan worldwide. But perhaps becoming a selector was a mistake. It might be the first time in the world that an umpire joined a selection committee. Asad Shafiq is a quiet personality, often seen as a “yes-man.” Did the two of them alone select the World Cup squad? Certainly not. Hesson got some changes made. Babar Azam was initially not included, but was picked on the coach’s insistence.
Although the committee had no formal chairman, Aqib Javed was the face that remained quite active behind the scenes. A few days ago Aleem Dar resigned. His “close sources” claimed that his opinions were not valued. They say he often argued with the coach and did not even take his salary. If that was the case, he should have resigned earlier just as Salahuddin Sallu,Iqbal Qasim and the late Abdul Qadir had done in the past.
In reality, Aleem Dar was receiving his salary. After his departure, Aqib Javed’s name was officially added to the selection committee. Asad Shafiq remained, while Misbah‑ul‑Haq and Sarfaraz Ahmed were also formally included as selectors.
Previously, they were already involved in the selection process. Let me remind you that Misbah and Sarfaraz were among the mentors in the failed Champions Cup project who were earning 5 million rupees per month. Others were dismissed, but these two remained on the PCB payroll on a reduced salary . Sarfaraz at least appeared busy with junior-level teams, but Misbah was rarely seen anywhere.
Misbah has been associated with the board in different roles in the past, but success has rarely followed. Apart from the chairman’s role, there is hardly any position in the board he hasn’t held. At one point he even served simultaneously as chief selector and head coach,something Aqib Javed used to criticize strongly. Later, ironically, Aqib himself served as selector as well as interim coach.now he is director High performance .
People often accuse Misbah of favoring players from his departmental team. He will have to be careful about that. Moreover, his son is now playing cricket, so perhaps he should have stayed away from the selection committee.
Sarfaraz’s inclusion is a better decision. He has a strong cricketing mind. However, he too must avoid being overly diplomatic. If as a selector you disagree with something or your opinion is ignored, you should protest immediately without worrying about your monthly paycheck. There’s no point in speaking up later just to appear righteous.
When Aqib Javed was outside the board, he sounded very bold. His blunt comments often created problems for Lahore Qalandars. But I can understand that at this stage of his career he might prefer peace.
Now that a new selection committee has been formed, the PCB should also make it accountable. Like the players, all selectors should have separate contracts. Just as players were fined 5 million rupees each for poor performance in the World Cup, selectors who pick underperforming players should also be fined when the team loses. And if the team wins a major International Cricket Council (ICC) or Asian Cricket Council (ACC) tournament, they should be rewarded.
Many people say Pakistan no longer has enough talent. I disagree. If out of 257 million Pakistanis we cannot find 15 talented cricketers, then the fault lies with us. The current team does not represent the full talent of the country. In every street and neighborhood you can find good players,search for them and polish them into gems.
For that, we need honest selectors who truly do their job. One request to the selection committee: please don’t force a player who performs well in one format into another. Here, if someone plays well in Tests, he is immediately brought into T20s; and a good T20 player quickly receives a Test cap. This should not happen.
The selectors are fortunate to have a chairman like Mohsin Naqvi, who gives them a free hand and does not interfere in selection. Yet when the team loses, the criticism still falls on the chairman.
Whenever a squad is selected, the selectors should hold a press conference and explain why a player was chosen or dropped. The selection committee should take responsibility for its failures. During the off-season, they should conduct talent hunts. How long will the same few underperforming players continue to get repeated chances?
If we want better results in the next World Cup, we must start working from now. It will begin by giving opportunities to deserving cricketers otherwise the selectors may soon have to look for new jobs themselves.