Former Pakistan captain Azhar Ali has resigned from the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) as a member of the National Men’s Selection Committee and head of the Youth Development Department. Geo news reported, citing sources.
Azhar had joined the national selection committee in October 2024, along with former ICC elite referee Aleem Dar and ex-Testpacer Aqib Javed.
The trio joined Asad Shafiq, who was already on the panel. Their appointments came at a challenging time for Pakistani cricket, following a Multan Test defeat against England.
The revamped panel made headlines soon after and took bold decisions such as dropping star batsman Babar Azam and leading pacers Shaheen Afridi and Naseem Shah for the remaining two Tests of the series.
The controversial move sparked widespread debate but ultimately paid off as Pakistan recovered to secure a remarkable 2-1 win.
In November 2024, a month after his appointment to the selection committee, Azhar was appointed PCB Head of Youth Development following a formal recruitment process.
Azhar’s sudden departure from both roles comes as a surprise, especially given the board’s focus on strengthening the player development framework.
The PCB has not yet issued an official statement on his dismissal or the reasons for it.
A respected figure in Pakistani cricket, the right-handed batsman enjoyed a distinguished international career from 2010 to 2022, earning 97 Test and 53 ODI caps.
He captained Pakistan in nine Tests and 31 ODIs and played a crucial role in the historic ICC Champions Trophy win in 2017.
Statistically, the 40-year-old is one of Pakistan’s modern greats. He scored 7,097 runs in 96 Test matches at an average of 42.49, making him the fifth highest Test run scorer in the country after Younis Khan, Javed Miandad, Inzamam-ul-Haq and Mohammad Yousuf.
His career included 19 centuries and 34 half-centuries, starting with a maiden Test fifty just two matches after his debut at Lord’s in 2010.
