Champions Trophy disaster: PCB mulls major restructuring of national team

LAHORE, MAR 3 (DNA): The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) is considering significant restructuring of the national team following the Green Shirts’ early exit from the ongoing Champions Trophy 2025.

The changes come as part of PCB’s strategy to rebuild with a focus on long-term success with sources saying that captain Mohammad Rizwan will be rested as part of this overhaul and all-rounder Shadab Khan is reportedly being considered to take over the captaincy role.

The development comes against the backdrop of Men in Green’s — who were also the defending champions — below-par performance in the first ICC event hosted by the country in nearly three decades.

During the tournament, the Rizwan-led side failed to win a single match and lost two fixtures against New Zealand and arch-rivals India. Meanwhile, their match against Bangladesh was washed out due to rain.

Also, Saqlain Mushtaq is expected to take over as the national cricket team’s head coach with sources saying that the former cricketer has agreed to the role after a meeting with PCB Chairman Mohsin Naqvi.

Meanwhile, several cricketers are expected to be dropped from the squad, including Babar Azam, Shaheen Afridi, Haris Rauf, Fakhar Zaman, Imam-ul-Haq, Tayyab Tahir and Kamran Ghulam.

The players likely to be part of the team include Mohammad Haris, Sufiyan Muqeem, Arafat Minhas, Irfan Khan Niazi, Zaman Khan, Mohammad Wasim Jr, Abbas Afridi, Jahandad Khan.

It is pertinent to know that Naqvi had recently convened a meeting with selectors at the National Cricket Academy to discuss the team’s poor Champions Trophy campaign.

During this meeting, Naqvi emphasised the need for a long-term vision, instructing selectors to build a team that can sustain success over time rather than focusing on short-term results.

The PCB is expected to make an official announcement regarding the new team composition in the coming days, ahead of Pakistan’s next international assignment.

Earlier, reports had emerged that several senior players are contemplating taking a break from international cricket following their underwhelming performances in the Champions Trophy.

Key players such as Shaheen Afridi, Haris Rauf, Naseem Shah, and Babar Azam were reportedly being discussed in selection meetings, with some considering stepping back from the tour to avoid the risk of being dropped.