Reports | Senior PCB officials bar Mohammed Hafeez, Shoaib Malik from T20Is selection

Pakistan Cricket has never been short of controversy in recent times and the unceremonious axing of former skipper Sarfaraz Ahmed added to their woes. Sarfaraz was stripped from Test and T20I captaincy with Azhar Ali and Babar Azam being named as the new skippers for the respective formats and the selectors sprung a surprise by picking an inexperienced squad, which included several teenagers, for their upcoming tour of Australia.

However, according to a report by Times of India, newly-appointed skipper Azam requested for the inclusion of seniors Mohammed Hafeez and Shoaib Malik in the T20I squad to bolster the squad's experience, but his suggestion was shot down by senior PCB officials, who were against that very idea. 

It is also being reported that both Azam and coach Misbah-ul-Haq had discussed and agreed upon the selection of Hafeez and Malik but were then overruled by senior PCB officials who decided to dump the duo in favour of youngsters. 

"I had given my input for selection of the squad. I felt I required some seniors but it is decision of selectors," Azam said when asked about team selection, reported Times of India. 

While this has not caused any disruption within the team as of now, it remains to be seen how much power actually lies in the hands of both the captain and the coach, with people outside the team management coming into the fray with this incident.