T20 World Cup: File photo of the Pakistan cricket team© AFP
Senior selection committee member Aleem Dar has tendered his resignation to the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) in the wake of the national team’s poor show in the T20 World Cup, according to sources. “Former ICC Elite Panel umpire Dar has sent his resignation, which is yet to be accepted,” a well-informed source close to the PCB said on Tuesday. Dar and former Test players Asad Shafiq and Aaqib Javed are members of the selection committee.
A source close to Dar said he resigned because he was unhappy with the undue authority given to the team’s head coach, Mike Hesson, in selection matters.
“Aleem is very upset that when the World Cup squad was being selected, he had resisted the inclusion of Babar Azam and Shadab Khan in the squad without any performance, but Hesson insisted on having them,” the source said.
He added that Dar was surprised to see that neither captain Salman Agha nor the other selectors questioned Hesson’s authority.
“Aleem had also insisted that when Babar and Shadab could be called in without performance, Muhammad Rizwan should be included in place of Usman Khan because of his experience, but no one supported him.”
Pakistan failed to qualify for the semifinals and lost to major teams like arch-rivals India and England, while their Super Eight game against New Zealand was washed out.
They beat Sri Lanka in their final Super Eight game but still couldn’t qualify for the semi-finals.
According to sources, the players’ performance has upset not only the PCB but also influential figures in the government.