Split captaincy is a possibility with senior board officials indicating their willingness to \u201cchallenge the status quo\u201d
\n islamabad
\nPakistan cricket is bracing itself for a wholesale review of its team structures, which could result in changes to the captaincy, after the end of a disappointing home season. Senior officials in the board\u2019s new management set-up have indicated their willingness to signal to players and coaches that they will \u201cchallenge the status quo if necessary.\u201d It has not been ruled out that such a challenge could split the Pakistan captaincy across formats, stripping Babar Azam of some of the influence he currently commands as an all-format captain.
\nThe current PCB administration, itself an interim arrangement, has appointed an interim selection committee, and Saqlain Mushtaq, the head coach of the national men\u2019s side, is likely to leave after his contract ends in February. The board plans to carry out its review and make changes after the PSL ends in March. The Najam Sethi-led management took over from Ramiz Raja just three weeks ago and has been actively reviewing Pakistan\u2019s recent performances and structures within the team since. One of their first moves was to disband the selection committee headed by Mohammad Wasim and bring in Shahid Afridi in his place to name the ODI squad for the ongoing series against New Zealand.
\nBut the real stirring seems to be happening with the side itself. Sethi made Shan Masood vice-captain of the ODI side in the absence of Babar\u2019s regular deputy Shadab Khan, who is out with a finger injury. It was a surprising recall for Masood, given that he last played an ODI in 2019 and hadn\u2019t really been part of the conversation since. Haris Sohail was also recalled out of the blue, having not been in the side for a while, on the basis that he had been treated unfairly by previous selectors.
\nBut Masood\u2019s sudden elevation as vice-captain has been read by some as a challenge to both him and Babar\u2019s captaincy, and is believed to have caused unrest and resentment among the core of the national side, most of whom are loyal to Babar. On the eve of the the ODI series against New Zealand, Babar had sought to play down the vice-captaincy, saying the appointment doesn\u2019t mean Masood would automatically make the XI, and sure enough, Masood hasn\u2019t played the first two games. But, ESPNcricinfo understands Sethi has taken a direct interest in Shan\u2019s inclusion in the XI, though Pakistan\u2019s top four is fairly established currently.
\nMasood\u2019s appointment is an illustration of how this administration intends to shake up that status quo. Babar has the command of his team and he remains a high-performing batter, but the recently concluded Test home season – where Pakistan lost three of five Tests and won none – has cranked up scrutiny of his leadership. That this shake-up is happening in the one format which this side seems especially suited to and settled in – the 50-overs game – is ironic. And though questions have been raised about his captaincy in T20Is, Babar has just led Pakistan to the semi-final and final of two successive T20 World Cups, as well as the final of the Asia Cup.
\nSethi has taken a personal interest in forming a new coaching set-up as well, and was planning to bring back former head coach Mickey Arthur. But Arthur\u2019s long-term contract with Derbyshire meant he couldn\u2019t take up a full-time head coach role with Pakistan and though both parties tried to forge a part-time consultancy role for him, the PCB said that proved \u201cdifficult to materialize for various reasons on both sides.\u201d
\nSethi, however, is keen on having Arthur on side, advising him on cricket affairs. The suggestion to elevate Masood is understood to have come from an informal discussion between Sethi and Arthur, for example. Masood had a stint last summer with Derbyshire, under Arthur. He scored 1832 runs in all competitions but wasn\u2019t able to transfer his form into Pakistan\u2019s home season. Across six Test innings he averaged 20.33, with a highest score of 35.
\nThe new administration wants to return to the status quo as it was in 2018, when Sethi stepped down after former Pakistan captain Imran Khan was elected Prime Minister. Sethi has already dismantled the four-year-old domestic structure that came in in the wake of Imran\u2019s election and taken it back to the one that was in place until 2018, marking the return of regional and departmental cricket. The PCB also brought back former women\u2019s head coach Mark Coles on a one-year contact; his first stint had ended when he resigned citing family reasons in 2019.
\nLast month, PCB patron-in-chief and Prime Minister Shahbaz Sharif removed Ramiz and his board and replaced them with a 14-member management committee, led by Sethi. The committee has 120 days to change the PCB\u2019s constitution, bringing back the 2014 version that was replaced in 2019.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Split captaincy is a possibility with senior board officials indicating their willingness to \u201cchallenge the status quo\u201d islamabad Pakistan cricket is bracing itself for a wholesale review of its team structures, which could result in changes to the captaincy, after the end of a disappointing home season. Senior officials in the board\u2019s new management set-up […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":307062,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[3],"tags":[],"class_list":{"0":"post-307046","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-sports"},"yoast_head":"\n