Team Selection Is Not Decided by One Person Says Aaqib Javed

Aaqib Javed, a member of Pakistan’s cricket selection committee, has said that the national team is not selected by a single individual but through collective consultation.

Speaking at a joint press conference at Gaddafi Stadium in Lahore, he was joined by fellow committee members Misbah-ul-Haq, Sarfaraz Ahmed and Asad Shafiq.

Aaqib Javed said the team is selected through discussions between the selection committee, the coach and the captain.

He acknowledged that Pakistan failed to meet expectations in the ICC T20 World Cup but added that the team’s overall performance had improved.

He noted that losing to the India national cricket team is always painful and admitted Pakistan has yet to defeat India in the tournament.

According to him, Pakistan lost only one match in the Super Eight stage, while another match was washed out by rain, leading to their elimination on net run rate.

Aaqib Javed also said Pakistan’s performance has improved in recent tours, highlighting victories against the South Africa national cricket team in South Africa and the Australia national cricket team in Australia.

He added that no player was dropped for the series against the Bangladesh national cricket team; instead, some players were rested to give opportunities to new talent.

Meanwhile, Babar Azam, Fakhar Zaman and Salman Mirza are currently not fully fit to play.

Javed also remarked that bowlers like Wasim Akram and Waqar Younis are unlikely to emerge again, adding that in modern cricket only Jasprit Bumrah stands out as a particularly difficult bowler to face.

Sarfaraz Ahmed added that Pakistan currently has two to three wicketkeeping options and new players will be given opportunities in the upcoming season.