RAWALPINDI, Pakistan (AP) — The Pakistan Cricket Board is planning to use AI to help harness a pool of backup players from the newly announced 50-over tournament – Champions Cup – scheduled to be held from Sept. 12-29.
Pakistan cricket stalwarts Waqar Younis, Saqlain Mushtaq, Misbah-ul-Haq, Shoaib Malik, and Sarfaraz Ahmed will work as mentors of the five teams in the Champions Cup.
“This Cup will make domestic cricket strong; we’ll have a pool of 150 players, and then the surgery will be done by the selection committee,” Naqvi said, adding that critics have been urging for an immediate overhaul of the test team.
“But you can’t dump someone unless you have a better one to replace them.”Pakistan surprisingly went without a specialist spinner in the series-opener against Bangladesh but its ploy to go with four pace bowlers backfired. Bangladesh took a solid 117-run first-innings lead after it scored 565 in reply to Pakistan’s 448-6 declared.
Pakistan crumbled for 146 in the second innings against Bangladesh spinners Shakib Al Hasan and Mehidy Hasan Miraz, who collected seven wickets in between them.
“Losing to Bangladesh is sad but the selection committee had given the team 17 players,” Naqvi said. “If the coach or captain aren’t playing some of them, that’s their decision. The team management may have made a mistake, but that has nothing to do with the selection committee.”
