Former Pakistani cricketer Basit Ali has chastised the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) for including veteran umpire Aleem Dar in the newly formed National Selection Committee. The new panel also includes former Test players Asad Shafiq, Aaqib Javed, Azhar Ali, and cricket analyst Hasan Cheema.
In his sharp critique, Ali questioned the rationale of appointing an umpire to a selection role, calling it a “terrible decision.” He sarcastically suggested that the PCB might as well add a match referee and a media representative to the committee.
“This decision is completely shocking. Aleem Dar was an excellent umpire and a great person, but he doesn’t belong in the selection committee. There is silence at the moment but there will be an uproar in the coming days. The PCB might as well add a match referee and a media person too,” Ali remarked.
Aleem Dar, who recently announced plans to retire from umpiring after Pakistan’s 2024-25 domestic season, holds the record for officiating 448 international matches, the highest by any umpire in history.
The new selection committee was formed after Pakistan’s defeat to England in the first Test in Multan and will be looked at with the utmost scrutiny going forward in the midst of Pakistan cricket’s current crisis.
