As many as 20 former Pakistan Test players gathered at a local hotel to meet the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) chief Mohsin Naqvi on Monday. The meeting aimed to address and propose solutions for the national team’s shortcomings following their disappointing exit from the T20 World Cup last month.
The invitation from the PCB chief came after Pakistan’s unexpected defeat by the USA in their opening match of the T20 tournament, prompting Naqvi to call for a comprehensive “surgery” to rectify the issues plaguing Pakistan cricket. During the meeting, the former players openly shared their frustrations and insights on how to improve the team’s performance, particularly in domestic cricket.
Although Mohsin Naqvi sought suggestions to revamp domestic cricket, the former players did not hold back in expressing their dissatisfaction with the national side’s T20 World Cup campaign. Criticism was directed at team captain Babar Azam for his leadership, though his future as captain was not discussed in the meeting.
Veteran cricketers such as Intiqab Alam, Sadiq Mohammad, Iqbal Qasim, Haroon Rasheed, Salim Altaf, Sikandar Bakhat, Sarfraz Ahmed, Shafqat Rana, Rashid Khan, and Wajahatullah Wasti were vocal about their disapproval of the squad selection. One notable suggestion was to avoid including three spinners for a tournament held in the West Indies and the United States. Others criticized the choice of Azam Khan and Usman Khan over Abdullah Shafique and Salman Ali Agha, believing the latter duo to be better prospects.
A practical suggestion made to the PCB chief was the formation of a national cricket committee and the inclusion of former Test players in the PCB’s Board of Governors, which currently lacks any Test cricketers. Additionally, several former players emphasized the need for maximum focus on under-19 cricket, advocating for youth teams to have access to top-tier coaches.
On a structural level, the ex-players recommended decentralizing domestic cricket to empower regional authorities, thereby reducing the PCB’s financial burden. However, the board did not provide detailed briefings during the meeting but informed the attendees about its plan to include 18 regional teams from 16 regions to compete in first-class cricket this year. The top 150 performers from these tournaments will then form five teams for another first-class event.
In a related development, PCB chief Mohsin Naqvi scheduled a late-night meeting with Pakistan’s white-ball head coach Gary Kirsten and assistant coach Azhar Mahmood, who both arrived on Monday morning. Additionally, Pakistan’s newly appointed Test coach Jason Gillespie was set to meet Naqvi later that night.
