Pakistan's lacklustre performance at the recently-concluded T20 World Cup has led to the sacking of both Wahab Riaz and Abdul Razzaq from their positions in the selection committee, multiple media reports confirmed. (More Cricket News)
Riaz and Razzaq were both part of the seven-member selection panel that drafted the squad for the 2024 T20 World Cup. As per a report in Cricbuzz, the decision has been taken after receiving the feedback from various members of the touring committee - including the manager, coach, and possibly even the skipper Babar Azam.
The new selection committee was announced in March earlier this year. Riaz was the chief selector before the new selection committee was formed. The panel consisted of Mohammad Yousuf, Asad Shafiq, along with the national team's respective captain and coach in addition to Riaz and Razzaq with no chief of selectors. Bilal Afzal was the seventh member on the panel as a data analyst.
Riaz was seen as the head of the committee but officially there was no chief.
Reports suggest that the size of the panel may be reduced, meaning none of Riaz or Razzaq will be replaced. A chief of selectors is also likely to be re-appointed.
Former cricketers Ramiz Raja, Mohammed Hafeez and Virender Sehwag had criticised the decision of Pakistan selectors to bring back Mohammed Amir and Imad Wasim ahead of the T20 World Cup.
Another disappointing World Cup campaign has led to further instability in the Pakistan Cricket Board. In one of the biggest upsets in the history of the tournament, Pakistan were defeated by the United States, who were playing their first ever ICC tournament, in a Group A match.
The defeat became the reason of Pakistan's exit from the T20 World Cup in the first round itself. Pakistan also lost to India in a close encounter. They finished their campaign with wins over Canada and Ireland but could not make it to the Super 8s.
