LAHORE: In a bid to arrest the alarming decline in the game suffered by the country in recent years, the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) is set to place greater reliance on data-driven analysis for player evaluation and selection, reducing the role of subjective human assessment.

The PCB is also reviewing its policy of assigning multiple positions to one individual, a practice that has been in place for the past two-and-a-half years.

These views were expressed by PCB chairman Mohsin Naqvi during a media briefing here at the Gaddafi Stadium on Saturday.

“We are introducing a system under which [the] player selection will be assessed through computer-generated data,” Mohsin said. “A player will have to pass through three filters for selection: fitness, mandatory participation in domestic cricket, and performance in domestic cricket.”

He further said that the PCB was holding a series of meetings to finalise major decisions regarding the cricket set-up, by Monday.

“We will continue these meetings until Monday and are likely to announce decisions regarding captains, central contracts and other cricket-related matters by then,” he added.

NEW POLICY FOR CENTRAL CONTRACTS

Mohsin revealed that a new central contract policy was also being formulated.

“Under the new policy, players will automatically be placed in their respective categories on the basis of [the] computer-generated data. Players selected primarily for Test cricket will not be allowed to play T20 cricket, although they may participate in One-day Internationals,” the PCB chief said.

He added that Test specialists would be placed in the highest category of the central contract structure.

Here it is worth mentioning that after assuming charge as PCB chairman in February 2024, Mohsin appointed Bilal Afzal as one of the selectors because of his expertise in data analysis. At the time, the PCB had announced plans to use data-based evaluation for assessing players.

However, the idea has remained a subject of debate among cricket experts. Critics argue that while data can assist selectors, it cannot fully capture the context of a player’s performance.

Responding to a question about Pakistan’s recent poor performances, Mohsin said several factors were responsible.

“One of the problems is that some players have been playing for themselves rather than for the team,” he said. “There are certain unhealthy practices that have caused significant damage to the team.”

He indicated that the practice of assigning multiple roles to an individual would be reviewed.

During Mohsin’s tenure, several officials have simultaneously held multiple positions. These include Aaqib Javed, who served as selector, head coach and National Cricket Academy director; Wahab Riaz, who worked as selector and team manager; Mohammad Yousuf, who combined the roles of selector and batting coach; and Sarfaraz Ahmed, who is currently serving as Test team head coach, selector and is also engaged in Under-19 coaching affairs.

Mohsin reiterated that domestic cricket would remain the primary pathway to the national team for players.

“Those who play domestic competitions will earn opportunities to represent Pakistan,” he said, adding that match fee for both domestic and international cricket would be increased.

Mohsin maintained that the new policies were expected to bear fruit after a couple of years.

The PCB chairman also revealed that during his tenure he had rarely suggested the national selection committee to make changes to the teams chosen by them.

“On just a couple of occasions, I recommended changes to one or two players, but the selectors decided otherwise and I accepted their decisions,” he said.

On the PCB plan to establish its own hotel near the Gaddafi Stadium to address traffic and security issues associated with transporting teams between hotels and the venue, Mohsin said a federal institution would undertake the project. “The building already purchased by the PCB near the stadium will be converted into a hotel,” he said.

Published in Dawn, June 14th, 2026