The Pakistan Cricket Board may not make significant changes to the national team after its poor performance in the T20 World Cup 2024, because this could cause conflicts with experienced players, according to insiders. The PCB’s leadership, set to gather on Saturday, will review reports from the white-ball coach Gary Kirsten and the senior team manager Wahab Riaz, submitted to chairman Mohsin Naqvi. However, a source mentioned that only minor adjustments will be made, and the current group of players will probably remain.
Naqvi mentioned after Pakistan lost to India in the World Cup that the team needed significant changes.
“The reports from Kirsten and Riaz will assist the Governing Board and chairman Naqvi in deciding what to do next, but it seems Naqvi wants to avoid conflicts with experienced players and has been cautioned against making drastic changes to the team,” a source shared with PTI.
“There are many external opinions and internal pressures within the system, so these discussions about major changes probably won’t happen. Essentially, with a few adjustments, the same group of players will continue to play for Pakistan in upcoming matches across all formats,” he further explained.
Regarding whether Babar Azam will continue as captain in limited-overs cricket after the poor performance in the T20 World Cup, another source mentioned that there is a group, including some former Test captains, who want Shaheen Afridi to take over from Babar. However, if there are any changes, the main contenders for the captaincy would be Shan Masood and Muhammad Rizwan.
“We might see some minor changes, such as changes in the selection committee, and the usual talk of restructuring domestic cricket to fix problems. But the experienced players still have a lot of influence,” he explained.
Kirsten’s report is believed to include the same notes he took while talking to the players in the locker room after their game against Ireland in the early rounds.
After the team lost to the USA and India, Kirsten told the experienced players they needed to learn new skills and be more aware of their game, or they might be left out.
Meanwhile, Wahab mentioned issues with player relationships during the World Cup.
Pakistan will play two test matches against Bangladesh and then three against England.
It’s doubtful that key players like Babar and Rizwan would choose to skip these important games.
