Mohsin Naqvi said Pakistan will name a Test squad with 80-90% youngsters for the Sri Lanka series
The two-match home Test series against Sri Lanka begins on November 7
Naqvi said only senior players whose experience is necessary will be retained
Pakistan will field a Test squad made up of 80-90% youngsters for the Sri Lanka series, PCB chief Mohsin Naqvi said on Saturday, signalling a sharp selection shift before the two-match home series that starts on November 7. The squad is due to be announced on Saturday.
Naqvi said only those senior players whose experience is necessary will be retained. The move is aimed at pushing more talent from across the country into the national side.
Naqvi made the remarks at a press conference as Pakistan prepared to host Sri Lanka for two Tests. His comments point to a youth-first policy that could leave several established names out of the squad.
Senior Players At Risk
Big names are in danger.
Babar Azam, Salman Agha, Shan Masood, Mohammad Rizwan and Imam-ul-Haq are among the established players who are unlikely to make the squad under the new approach. Naqvi’s comments make clear that reputation alone will not secure selection.
That would extend a shift already seen during the England Test series. Rizwan, Haq and Agha were dropped from the squad in the middle of that series, a move that had already hinted at a change in direction.
Masood also appears vulnerable. The former captain is said to be "fearful" of being dropped from the squad, with his injury being used as an excuse.
Naqvi's Harsh Assessment
Naqvi did not soften his message.
“We’ll announce the Test team today, I think, and you’ll see that even there, 80–90% of the [players] are young kids," Naqvi said at a press conference. “Until and unless someone’s experience is necessary, every young kid performing well is being brought in," he added.
He also said many players reach the national team and waste their talent. Naqvi urged younger cricketers not to let fame get to their heads as he argued that the board must invest more seriously in developing players.
“It is very necessary for us to pick this talent and polish it—it’s like gold doesn’t become gold until it goes through the whole process," he said. “… The state of the cricket team was such; we have faced it ourselves… Coaches used to tell me that, ‘We are teaching them this and that also’. Brother, if you are picking 14 people from a 24 crore population, and you have to teach them also, then what’s the use? This was our mistake—I am not blaming anyone—it was our own mistake. We have corrected ourselves and will do so going forward."
