New selection committee

The new PCB chief has given the men’s selection committee a new shape. The restructured committee will have seven members, with equal say, and none at the helm. To add to that, captain and head coach — apart from a data analyst — have been made part of the selection committee which will also have four former cricketers as the remaining members. The highlight of the restructuring is turning official the role of skipper in selection matters. The skipper thus far only had a kind of de facto role in the context: selectors are known to consult skippers before finalising team; and skippers are known to expect selectors to seek their nod before completing the selection process.

Captains have their favourities too — well, both good and bad favourties. We have had captains powerful enough to ensure their favourites do get selected. “It is the captain who makes the team fight in the field and it is his say that should matter the most” runs the argument. The argument is valid though, the skipper, because of his professional engagements, is not in a position to spare time to keep a close eye on the domestic cricket circuit to spot talent — something that professional selectors are best suited to do. What we have now is the right mix of selectors — including four full-time, professional members who can devote their time into keeping a watch on performances of local and international players; two members who work closely with the players; and a member coming up with data and trends.

In a related bold move, the PCB Chairman, Mohsin Naqvi, has ceded his role in selection matters, candidly acknowledging “we are management people [and] we have to manage things.” Thus far, chairman’s thumbs-up for the selected team was a must. Overall, it’s good to see the incumbent chairman putting the professionals in control of the affairs.

Published in The Express Tribune, March 26^th, 2024.

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