Former Pakistan captain Azhar Ali has resigned from his post as member of the national men’s selection committee and head of youth development, sources said. PK Press Club News Tuesday.
Azhar had joined the national selection committee in October 2024, alongside former ICC elite umpire Aleem Dar and former Test pacer Aqib Javed.
The trio joined Asad Shafiq, who was already on the panel. Their appointments came at a difficult time for Pakistan cricket, following an innings defeat in the Multan Test against England.
The revamped panel made headlines soon after, making bold decisions such as dropping star batter Babar Azam and openers Shaheen Afridi and Naseem Shah for the remaining two Tests of the series.
The controversial decision sparked widespread debate but ultimately paid off, as Pakistan bounced back to claim a remarkable 2-1 series victory.
In November 2024, a month after his appointment to the selection committee, Azhar was appointed as the PCB’s Head of Youth Development following a formal recruitment process.
Azhar’s sudden departure from both roles comes as a surprise, particularly given the board’s focus on strengthening its player development framework.
The PCB is yet to release an official statement regarding his resignation or the reasons behind it.
A respected figure in Pakistani cricket, the right-handed batter enjoyed a distinguished international career spanning from 2010 to 2022, winning 97 Test caps and 53 ODI caps.
He captained Pakistan in nine Tests and 31 ODIs and played a pivotal role in the country’s historic ICC Champions Trophy triumph in 2017.
Statistically, the 40-year-old is among the greats of modern Pakistan, scoring 7,097 runs in 96 Test matches at an average of 42.49, making him the fifth highest Test scorer in the country after Younis Khan, Javed Miandad, Inzamam-ul-Haq and Mohammad Yousuf.
His career spanned 19 centuries and 34 half-centuries, starting with a maiden Test of fifty-two matches only after his debut at Lord’s in 2010.
