Gary Kirsten and Wahab Riaz submit Pakistan World Cup tour report

Uncertainty surrounding the future of Pakistan’s white-ball captain Babar Azam and the fate of the selection committee continues even as head coach Gary Kirsten and selector Wahab Riaz have submitted a tour report to PCB chairman Mohsin Naqvi following Pakistan’s disappointing T20 World Cup campaign, which came to an end when they were eliminated from the tournament after just three matches, following losses to the USA and India.

Pakistan’s World Cup exit was followed by an intense and somewhat passionate backlash at home. The seven-member selection committee, widely seen as effectively headed by Wahab, was one of the main targets, while tactical ineptitude and a culture of conservatism under Babar’s captaincy also came under scrutiny. There are still unresolved questions about the selection itself, particularly the continued absence of specialist leg-spinner Abrar Ahmed despite Shadab Khan’s poor form.

However, as ESPNcricinfo reported last month, the PCB has opted to take its time before taking any big decisions. Pakistan don’t play any white-ball matches until November, so the PCB can wait until Kirsten and Wahab (who is also the senior team manager for the tournament) submit their report.

The PCB is understood to be open to a change in captaincy, but Babar’s continued presence has not been completely ruled out. This is in part due to the lack of a clear candidate to replace Babar. When Naqvi decided to remove Shaheen Shah Afridi, he ultimately reverted to Babar, who he had replaced only a few weeks earlier. This was after another poor performance in an ICC event, the ODI World Cup to be held in India in 2023.

With Kirsten and Wahab having submitted their report, a decision on the “surgery” that Naqvi was reportedly preparing to carry out is theoretically closer, but the PCB has consistently refused to put a deadline on any action, insisting that it wants to take a considered decision rather than a rushed one.