A day after Pakistan succumbed to their first Test defeat against Bangladesh, Mohsin Naqvi was a solemn figure as he spoke about the absence of depth in the set-up. Pakistan are in the middle of an ordinary run, which began from their inability to make the Asia Cup final last year. Since then, they have failed to make the semi-final of both the ODI and the T20 World Cups. They have also not won a single Test in this period, while the defeat against Bangladesh stretched their winless streak at home to nine Test matches.
Naqvi, who took up his role earlier this year, stated the team needs a major overhaul, and that the feeder system in the nation has not been producing enough candidates who could threaten the position of the players currently in the squad.
“The problem is the selection committee has no pool to turn to from which to select players," he said. "I spoke of surgery because we need to fix our problems. But when we look at how to resolve them, we don't have any solid data or player pool which we can draw from. The whole system was a mess. For surgery, you need all the tools to perform it."
Naqvi: Champions Cup will make domestic cricket strong
On Monday, the PCB announced the mentors for the Champions Cup, one of the three new tournaments introduced to the upcoming season of men’s domestic cricket in Pakistan. A total of 150 players will be picked for the Champions Cup, and Naqvi confirmed that the selections have been made with the help of AI (Artificial Intelligence).
Pakistan have announced a list of mentors for five teams in the Champions Cup, the most notable and perhaps the most surprising of which is the inclusion of Sarfraz Ahmed.
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“These 150 players that have been selected, 80 per cent of it has been done by AI (Artificial intelligence) and 20 per cent using humans. Nobody can challenge that. We gave about 20 per cent weightage to our selection committee. If we replace a player with a worse one, you'll be the first to complain. We'll have records and we'll all be able to see transparently who deserves a place in the team."
He continued: “This Cup will make domestic cricket strong, we'll have a pool of 150 players, and then the surgery we need to be done, the selection committee will do. People said 'Do it all today, slit the throats of four-five players, and get rid of them'. You can't dump someone unless you have a better one to replace them.”
He also sounded a warning bell to the underperformers in the Pakistan side, saying the players who do well in the Champions Cup will “immediately replace” them. “The Champions Cup will end in September, and then there will be records for everyone," Naqvi said. "Anyone who isn't performing will be immediately replaced. It shouldn't come down to anyone's individual opinions and wishes."
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