Pakistan Cricket Board’s (PCB) Director of High Performance and national selector Aqib Javed has opened up about the widely debated exclusion of star batter Babar Azam from Pakistan’s T20I squad.
During an interview with Crickwick, Aqib discussed the controversy surrounding Babar’s absence from the T20I side after the December 2024 tour of South Africa.
Babar, who faced criticism for his comparatively slow strike rate in modern T20 cricket, was dropped from the squad following the tour. The decision raised questions among fans, especially given his consistent performances in other formats. The 31-year-old has since made his return to limited-overs cricket in the series against South Africa.
Aqib explained that public opinions and criticism are part of professional roles.
“These opinions are normal. When you’re working in a particular position, you have to accept that criticism will come your way,” he said.
He highlighted the difference between managerial and player-level scrutiny.
“Praise always goes to players, but criticism usually lands on the management — and I understand that very well. I always tell players that their praise or criticism depends entirely on their performance.”
Aqib clarified that the decision to drop Babar from T20Is was not personal, nor was it his single-handed decision.
“People think I have a personal issue with Babar, but if that were true, would I only target him in one format? Selection and dropping are collective decisions made by the entire committee,” he added.
Reaffirming his stance, Aqib concluded that no individual selector has the power to make personal choices.
“I’m not someone who can favor or go against a player personally. These are team decisions, not individual ones.”
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