LAHORE: Pakistan Cricket Board’s cricket committee headed by ex-Test opener Mohsin Khan and having prominent names like Wasim Akram and Misbah-ul-Haq as members held its second meeting to discuss the team’s show in the recently-held series against Australia and New Zealand here on Thursday without chief selector Inzamam-ul-Haq and head coach Mickey Arthur.

The marked absence of the chief selector and head coach indicates the cricket committee is powerless. Dawn has learnt that Mohsin, during the first committee meeting held in Karachi on Dec 6, had sought the presence of both Inzamam and Arthur at the second meeting in order to discuss the team’s performance during the series against Australia and New Zealand. However, both the officials did not attend it.

After Pakistan lost the three-Test series 2-1 to New Zealand, Arthur left for Australia and now the head coach is set to join the national squad in South Africa where Sarfraz Ahmed and his men headed to in the wee hours of Thursday.

According to sources, perhaps the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) did not deem it necessary to ask anyone to appear before the cricket committee (at its meeting) mainly because according to the terms of reference devised for the committee, it is only entitled to make recommendations to PCB chairman on specific subjects and cannot call or grill anyone.

However, it is pertinent to mention here that when the committee was formed around a couple of months ago, a PCB official had told media that the committee would also hold discussions with the selectors, captain and head coach while making recommendations to PCB chairman.

In the backdrop of Pakistan’s disappointing loss in the New Zealand Test series, there must be a number of subjects the committee could discuss with the captain, head coach and chief selector, and without this co-ordinated exercise it would not be easy for the committee to send a precise set of recommendations to PCB chief Ehsan Mani.

Published in Dawn, December 14th, 2018