PCB ‘Connection Camp’ to decide Pakistan team’s future
Senior cricketers, board officials to “attend” the camp.
Decisions to be taken in light of recommendations.
Changing of captains to come under discussion.
LAHORE: The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) will hold a “Connection Camp” — a meeting-cum-workshop of the board’s top brass — that will design the Pakistan cricket’s future course of actions, sources told News on Saturday.
The sources said Pakistan white ball head coach Gary Kirsten, red ball head coach Jason Gillespie, heads of high performance centres, senior cricketers, senior board officials as well as international and domestic directors will attend the camp meeting presided by PCB Chairman Mohsin Naqvi.
The meeting is expected to come about on September 22.
Decisions about fate of the team would be taken in light of the recommendations made in the Connection Camp, the sources added.
It should be noted that Kirsten had gone to his homeland after submitting a report to the PCB in July, whereas, Gillespie went back to Australia after the Bangladesh Test series fiasco.
The sources said the coaches of red ball and white ball cricket would hold a separate meeting among themselves.
Moreover, they said, ideas will be exchanged about replacing captains of the shorter and longer formats of the game as there are fair chances of replacement of the skipper for the white ball format. On the other hand, Test skipper Shan Masood’s captaincy will also be scanned.
A day ago, sources had told Geo News that wicket-keeper batsman Mohammad Rizwan has emerged as the hot contender for the post of captaincy, though initially for the white ball cricket only.
Sources said that the PCB’s snubbing Babar Azam from captaincy in the Champions One-Day Cup was an indication that he might not stay the national squad’s captain in the longer run.
There was a fair chance of appointment of a new captain in place of the star batsman later this year, the sources said, adding that the appointment of new skipper for one-day international and T20 formats was likely ahead of the Australia tour, slated for November.
The sources said Rizwan’s name was likely to be discussed for the lead role. If agreed upon, the wicket-keeper might be appointed as captain for all the three formats in the future, they maintained.