PCB rejects Shadab's T20I captaincy proposal

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KARACHI:

It has been revealed that all-rounder Shadab Khan was initially considered for the T20I captaincy during Pakistan's tour of New Zealand, but the proposal was rejected by PCB officials.

Instead, under the board's policy of giving opportunities to new players ahead of the T20 World Cup next year, Salman Ali Agha was appointed as captain. The selection process involved consultation with team mentors to address their concerns.

In the first ODI against New Zealand, Usman Khan opened the innings alongside Abdullah Shafique. Sources indicate that a similar strategy was suggested for the Champions Trophy match against India in Dubai, where the board advised the team management to open with an aggressive batter. However, the team management disregarded this suggestion.

For the New Zealand tour, PCB consulted five mentors—Sarfaraz Ahmed, Saqlain Mushtaq, Waqar Younis, Misbah-ul-Haq, and Shoaib Malik before selecting the squad. Previously, when the team's poor performance in the Champions Trophy raised questions about the mentors' involvement, they defended themselves by stating they were not consulted on player selection.

After discussions with the mentors, the selectors initially suggested Shadab Khan as the T20 captain, citing his experience leading Islamabad United in the PSL and his ability to guide young players. However, PCB officials rejected the idea, questioning how a player not consistently part of the squad could be made captain. Instead, Salman Ali Agha, a regular member in other formats, was given the captaincy, while Shadab was named vice-captain.

Pakistan suffered a 1-4 series defeat against New Zealand, with their only victory coming in the third match, thanks to Hasan Nawaz's century. Salman Ali Agha emerged as Pakistan's top scorer, accumulating 167 runs at an average of 41.75. Shadab Khan, on the other hand, managed only 58 runs in five matches at an average of 14.50 and took just one wicket at a bowling average of 143, struggling on pitches unfavorable for spinners.

Despite the heavy defeats, PCB remains committed to relying on young players until the T20 World Cup, believing they align better with modern cricket demands. Usman Khan is being consistently included in the squad but has yet to deliver strong performances. However, in the first ODI against New Zealand, he scored 39 runs and built an 83-run partnership with Abdullah Shafique in Imam-ul-Haq's absence due to injury.

Before the Pakistan-India Champions Trophy match in February, a senior PCB official advised captain Mohammad Rizwan and coach Aaqib Javed to open with Usman Khan due to Fakhar Zaman's injury.

The reasoning was that Usman has played most of his cricket in the UAE and is well-versed with the conditions, potentially posing a significant threat to India with his aggressive batting. However, this suggestion was ignored, and Imam-ul-Haq was sent to open with Babar Azam instead. Imam struggled, scoring just 10 runs off 26 balls. Meanwhile, Babar, returning to his preferred No. 3 position, scored 78 runs in the first ODI against New Zealand.

Given the circumstances, it was likely that Usman Khan and Abdullah Shafique will continue as Pakistan's opening pair in upcoming matches but Usman injured and now Pakistan has to find another pair.