Selection committee under fire
Pakistan's cricket board has issued show-cause notices to its selection committee members over the inclusion of Imam-ul-Haq and Mohammad Rizwan for the Test tours of the West Indies and England, as per Cricbuzz. The committee, which includes former players Aaqib Javed, Misbah-ul-Haq, Sarfaraz Ahmed, and Asad Shafiq, has been given 24 hours to respond. PCB's Chief Operating Officer Sumair Ahmed has asked the selectors to explain their rationale behind picking the two players.
The notices come amid a broader overhaul of the Pakistan squad following the team's defeat in the second Test against England. Imam-ul-Haq was sent home along with six others, including head coach Sarfaraz Ahmed and bowling coach Umar Gul. Aaqib Javed, the PCB's director of high performance and a member of the selection committee, defended the purge in an interview with Geo News, saying it was meant to send a message to recalled players about raising their game on important tours and showing effort.
Imam-ul-Haq's injury questioned
Aaqib questioned Imam's commitment to the game, saying, "How is it possible that a pulled muscle ruled you out of batting in both innings? He should have tried and fought." He added that "players in the past used to get injuries but they used to put on casts and still tried [to play]."
The PCB had earlier announced Imam's injury and said his participation in the remaining Test would depend on medical advice. Despite his absence from the Test, Imam participated in a warm-up session with the rest of the team on the fourth morning, drawing heavy criticism from Stuart Broad and David Warner.
The Indian Express, citing The Telegraph's reporting, noted that Imam remains at the centre of the storm over his calf injury; he did not bat in either innings at Lord's, and the PCB has demanded a full account of when he first reported the problem, what medical evaluation was carried out during the Test, and why he was ultimately unable to bat.
Coaching changes and Misbah's resignation
The coaching axings also drew scrutiny. Sarfaraz Ahmed, 39, had coached only at Under-19 level and in a two-Test series in the Caribbean before being handed the senior Test job. Bowling coach Umar Gul's position reportedly became untenable after he pointed to cold weather as a factor in Pakistan's poor showing at Headingley, an explanation that did not sit well with officials who felt it lacked accountability.
Misbah-ul-Haq has since resigned from Pakistan's four-member selection committee, a day after the axings were announced, and stepped down as batting consultant at the National Cricket Academy too. He was reportedly not consulted before the seven players and two coaches were sent home. Cricinfo has separately reported that the PCB served the committee a formal notice the same day, seeking a written explanation, within 24 hours, for the original selections of Rizwan and Imam on the tours of the West Indies and England.
Aaqib Javed's defence
Speaking to Geo News, Aaqib mounted a direct defence of the overhaul, arguing the team's inability to compete necessitated the changes. He said he had personally told captain Babar Azam and the coaching staff before the Lord's Test to play fast bowler Ubaid Shah, and argued the team should also have picked wicketkeeper Ghazi Ghori ahead of Rizwan.
Aaqib also defended handing the Test side to Mike Hesson, the white-ball coach, for the Edgbaston match, and praised the incoming head coach, pledging full support. He blamed the team management for flawed selection decisions and stressed the need to compete better in future matches.
Defending his own position, he said, "When we select the team as coach or captain and make a squad, we're responsible for that squad. But once they go on tour, we cannot do anything about the match-to-match combination." Unlike Misbah, Aaqib said he had no intention of resigning.