Selector Steps Down Amid Controversy Over Babar Azam and Shadab Khan’s T20 WC Selection

Lahore:

The Pakistan cricket team reached Lahore from Colombo on Sunday (March 1) after being knocked out of the T20 World Cup, and within two days, a member of the senior selection committee, Aleem Dar, has tendered his resignation to the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB). The drama has started in Pakistan Cricket as it has been revealed that Dar was not happy with the selection of Babar Azam and Shadab Khan in the T20 World Cup squad.

He was also unhappy with the undue authority given to the head coach, Mike Hesson, in selection matters. The source has revealed that Hesson insisted on having both Babar and Shadab in the squad when Aleem Dar resisted for the same. 

“Aleem is very upset that when the World Cup squad was being selected, he had resisted the inclusion of Babar Azam and Shadab Khan in the squad without any performance, but Hesson insisted on having them. Aleem had also insisted that when Babar and Shadab could be called in without performance, Muhammad Rizwan should be included in place of Usman Khan because of his experience, but no one supported him,” a source close to the development said according to PTI.

Moreover, Aleem Dar was also surprised to see that neither captain Salman Ali Agha nor the other selectors in the committee questioned or stopped Hesson from selection the said two players in the team. Meanwhile, Dar’s resignation is yet to be accepted according to the source.

Babar Azam and Shadab Khan’s form ahead of the T20 World Cup

Notably, Babar Azam wasn’t in great form in the lead-up to the T20 World Cup. He had a forgettable Big Bash League (BBL) for the Sydney Sixers, scoring only 202 runs at a strike rate of 103.06 in 11 innings. As for Shadab, he was injured and hadn’t played since June 2025 due to a shoulder injury, and was directly included in the squad for the series against Sri Lanka in January 2026.

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