The Pakistan Cricket Board has decided to return to its previous selection committee system after the disastrous failure of not having a chief selector during the T20 World Cup. Pakistan's humiliating exit in the group stage, including losses to underdogs USA and fierce rival India, has forced the board to make this crucial decision. The experiment has proven to be a costly mistake, and the board is now determined to rectify the situation and ensure that such a debacle never happens again.

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“The board is likely to return to the old system of having a chief selector with two or three selectors and the captain and head coach not sitting in selection meetings with the selectors,” a source told PTI.

The former Test fast bowler, Wahab Riaz, a key member of the selection committee that handpicked the team for the T20 World Cup, is poised to maintain his influential role on the board and may even ascend to the position of chief selector.

Wahab previously held the position of chief selector until the PCB decided to overhaul the selection process, transitioning from a three or four-member committee to a panel of eight selectors. This new system includes the captain and head coach, Babar Azam and Gary Kirsten, as selectors, alongside a data analyst and former cricketers such as Mohammad Yousuf, Asad Shafiq, and Abdul Razzaq.

Despite already serving as the national team's senior manager, a role that overlapped with the team's existing manager during the World Cup, Wahab's influence continues to grow. It is rumored that his close relationship with PCB Chairman Mohsin Naqvi has solidified his position, with Naqvi entrusting him as an advisor during his tenure as caretaker Chief Minister of Punjab.

Furthermore, the board is actively reviewing the central contracts awarded by former Chairman Zaka Ashraf to players, contracts that bind them for a three-year term.

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