In an unusual and passionate press conference convened by the full men’s selection committee, national selector Aaqib Javed has mounted a firm defense of Pakistan’s performance over the last 18 months. Addressing the fallout from Pakistan’s T20 World Cup exit, Javed urged fans and the media to abandon the “urge to scapegoat” individuals every time the team faces a setback.
Addressing the T20 World Cup Exit
Pakistan recently faced their fourth consecutive ICC tournament without reaching the semi finals, sparking widespread criticism of the squad and its management. However, Javed argued that the elimination was a matter of mathematical fine margins rather than a systemic failure of the sport in the country.
“In our setup whenever a team loses, there is always a demand to punish someone,” Javed said. “It happened at the previous World Cup, then the Champions Trophy, and the Asia Cup. Whenever we lose, we’ll go over the top, demanding the whole team or coach or selectors be changed. The way we change coaches and selectors never happens anywhere else in world cricket. We’ll have to move past scapegoating people.”
Regarding the recent tournament, he noted: “We qualified for the second round, and we lost only one game against England. Did anything else happen? It was not possible to win by that margin against Sri Lanka which we required. We lost just one game, and only missed out due to net run rate. It’s not so big an issue to say our cricket has been destroyed.”
A United Front from the PCB
The press conference served as a platform to project stability within the committee, which now includes Misbah-ul-Haq and Sarfaraz Ahmed following the resignations of Aleem Dar and Azhar Ali. Shortly after the briefing, PCB Chair Mohsin Naqvi issued a statement expressing “full confidence” in the committee and advising them not to “worry about criticism that is made merely for the sake of criticism.”
Highlighting Historical Wins
Javed went through the team’s record since he joined the panel in October 2024, highlighting several landmark achievements that he believes indicate the team has turned a corner.
“Overall, if I view the Pakistan team since I’ve come here, we beat England in a Test series, which no one even dreamed of. We won an ODI series in Australia after 27 years. We then beat South Africa 3-0 in South Africa [in ODIs], which no one has ever done. We let the Centurion Test slip through our fingers, and should have won it,” he explained.
He acknowledged that the 2025 Champions Trophy on home soil was a “disaster,” where Pakistan finished bottom of their group after losses to New Zealand and India, but insisted the lead up to the T20 World Cup had been promising.
The India-Pakistan Dynamic
Javed also touched upon the persistent pain of losing to India, who have now defeated Pakistan in nine consecutive meetings. He suggested that these results should be viewed within a broader historical context rather than as a modern day anomaly.
“The India-Pakistan match is important for us, but we have never [once] beaten India in a World Cup. It is 8-0. The best captains from 1975 onwards have played them, including players from all generations, and we’ve never beaten India, the result is 8-0. Set that aside,” Javed remarked.
Looking Ahead
The selection committee’s focus now shifts to the upcoming two Test series against Bangladesh in May. Currently, a young Pakistan side is competing in an ODI series in Bangladesh, which is leveled at 1-1. This squad features six potential debutants, four of whom have already received their caps, as the committee looks to integrate fresh talent into the national setup.
