Islamabad, Mar 1: Some of the senior Pakistan players could withdraw from the next month’s New Zealand tour in the aftermath of the team’s embarrassing exit from the Champions Trophy, sources said on Friday.Pakistan exited the home event without winning a single game as it began the campaign with a heavy 60-run defeat against New Zealand in Karachi and then lost by six wickets to arch-rivals India in Dubai.
On Thursday, the home team’s match against Bangladesh in Rawalpindi had to abandoned due to rain, crushing the comeback hopes.
According to sources aware of developments in the Board, a few players are contemplating if they should travel to New Zealand.
Pakistan are scheduled to play five T20Is and three ODIs during the white-ball tour from March 16-April 5.
Babar Azam, Shaheen Shah Afridi, Haris Rauf, Naseem Shah were considering making themselves unavailable for the tour.
“These players know that they are most likely to be dropped by the selectors who will now want to try out new faces so they are thinking about withdrawing themselves and are in consultations with their agents to make the next move,” a source said.
There was also a cloud of uncertainty over the future of Muhammad Rizwan as the selectors could recommend to the Chairman for rebuilding the T20 squad prior to the Asia Cup later this year and next year’s T20 World Cup in India and Sri Lanka.
Meanwhile, the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) is looking for a new role for interim head coach Aaqib Javed at the National Cricket Academy in Lahore.
According to a source, Javed had made several requests to the Chairman Mohsin Naqvi last year for a job at the academy.
“Aaqib whose tenure as interim head coach has concluded is now being considered to work at the national cricket academy in Lahore in a senior position but due to the resignations of Gary Kirsten and Jason Gillispie, the PCB had asked Aaqib to take over as interim head coach,” the source said.
“All decisions would be taken after the Champions Trophy ends on February 9.”
The source said with the Champions Trophy over for Pakistan the PCB would consider to move Aaqib to the academy while also continuing as national selector.