PCB Adds Umpire Aleem Dar To Selection Committee, Decision Stuns Everyone

The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) has announced a revamp of the National Selection Committee, hours after national team’s embarrassing defeat against England in the first Test in Multan. England thrashed Pakistan by an innings and 47 runs, burying the hosts under a mountain of runs. PCB has added former Test players, Aaqib Javed, Azhar Ali, Test umpire Aleem Dar and analyst Hasan Cheema to the committee. Former Test batter Asad Shafiq was already on the committee after the resignation of Muhammad Yousuf a few days back as national selector.

The PCB said all the members would have voting rights but didn’t elaborate whether head coaches, Gary Kirsten and Jason Gillespie would also continue on the committee as voting members.

In the past Aaqib has been a fierce critic of the board and team while this is the first time the Board has added an umpire as national selector.

Aleem recently announced his retirement from international umpiring.

The PCB has revamped or changed the national selection committee several times since last year under two different board chairmen.

The revamped selection committee’s first task would be to pick the squad for the remaining two Tests against England followed by the selection of the Pakistan white-ball squads for series in Australia and South Africa.