LAHORE: In its first significant move after the senior team’s disastrous show at the recently-held T20 World Cup, the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) on Wednesday sacked Wahab Riaz and Abdul Razzaq both of whom were part of a seven-member national selection committee.

“The PCB today confirmed that it has notified Abdul Razzaq and Wahab Riaz that their services will no longer be required in the national selection committee setup. Abdul Razzaq was a member of the men’s and women’s selection committee, while Wahab was a member of the men’s selection committee,” the PCB said in a media statement here on Wednesday.

“The PCB will provide further updates on the selection committee’s composition in due course,” the statement added.

Pakistan under the captaincy of Babar Azam suffered an embarrassing first-round exit from the 20-nation T20 World Cup, staged jointly by West Indies and the USA last month, after losing group stage matches against the USA, a non-Test playing cricketing nation, and arch-rivals India.

When Pakistan from almost a winning position lost to India in their World Cup match in New York, PCB chairman Mohsin Naqvi in his message on social media platform X had said that the team required a ‘major surgery’.

While introducing the novel model of a seven-member national selection committee without a chairman earlier this year, Mohsin, who was elected as PCB chief in February this year, had said that he would be responsible in case the committee failed.

However, following a string of the national team’s failures that culminated in a pathetic performance in the T20 World Cup, mainly due to some obviously wrong selections, the PCB chief has initiated the ‘surgery’.

Mohammad Yousuf, Asad Shafiq, Bilal Azhar, Babar and head coach Gary Kirsten are also members of the selection committee, each having equal role and powers to recommend players for selection.

It may be mentioned here that Mohsin had delayed the announcement of the national team for the T20 World Cup for a couple of days, saying he wanted the minutes of the selection committee’s meeting during which the squad for the mega event was selected.

Interestingly, Mohsin, who introduced a national-level selection body without a head, also included Bilal Afzal, who is a non-technocrat. It seems, however, that Wahab and Razzaq have been made scapegoats.

Former South African Test cricketer Kirsten though joined the Pakistan team on their England tour a few weeks before the World Cup, since his appointment he has remained part of the consultations which were being made for the national team selection.

Meanwhile in a sharp reaction over his ouster, Wahab categorically denied that he pressured the fellow selectors.

“I don’t agree with the statements being discussed about adding pressure to the members of the selection committee, how can 1 vote dominate 6? Everything is documented on record in the meeting minutes,” Wahab wrote in a message on X.

Former Test fast bowler Wahab, who is in England these days playing the World Championship of Legends, may issue a fresh statement later in the day.

Wahab, at one stage, seemed one of the most favourite choices of Mohsin as the ex-pacer had also worked with him as the sports adviser when Mohsin was caretaker chief minister of Punjab. Moreover, Wahab, besides being a selector, was made senior manager — a novel position also introduced by Mohsin after taking the mantle as PCB chief.

Published in Dawn, July 11th, 2024