Senior selection committee member Aleem Dar has resigned from the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) following the national team’s exit from the T20 World Cup, news agency PTI reported on Tuesday, citing sources. He resigned after Pakistan failed to reach the semi-finals of the World Cup.
“Dar, the former elite ICC umpire, has submitted his resignation but it is yet to be accepted,” PTI quoted a source close to the PCB as saying.
Dar serves on the selection committee along with former Test cricketers Asad Shafiq and Aqib Javed. According to a PTI report, Dahl resigned over concerns about head coach Mike Hesson’s power over team selection decisions.
Press Trust of India quoted a source as saying: “Aleem was extremely frustrated as he refused to include Babar Azam and Shadab Khan in the squad when the World Cup squad was selected but did not perform but Hesson insisted on including them.”
Sources added that Dar was surprised that captain Salman Agha and other selectors did not object to the coach’s role in the process.
“Alim also insisted that when Babar and Shadab could be called upon without performances, Mohammad Rizwan should replace Usman Khan because of his experience, but no one backed him.”
Pakistan lost to India in the group stage and then England in the Super Eights before being eliminated against New Zealand. They defeated Sri Lanka in their final match of the Super Eights but still failed to reach the semi-finals.
According to a PTI report, the team’s performance has raised concerns among those within the PCB and the government.
The PCB also reportedly fined each player PKR 5 million after the team failed to reach the semi-finals. The Express Tribune reported on Monday that PCB “officials have made it clear to players that enough care has been taken – from now on, financial benefits will only come with performance.”