Former Pakistan captain Azhar Ali resigned from his post as member of the men’s national selection committee and head of youth development, sources said Pakinomist news on Tuesday.
Azhar had joined the national selection committee in October 2024 along with former ICC elite umpire Aleem Dar and former Test pacer Aqib Javed.
The trio joined Asad Shafiq, who was already serving on the panel. Their appointments came at a challenging time for Pakistan cricket, following an innings defeat in the Multan Test against England.
The revamped panel made headlines soon after, taking 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 bounced back to secure a remarkable 2-1 series 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 its player development framework.
The PCB is yet to issue an official statement about his resignation or the reasons behind it.
A respected figure in Pakistan cricket, the right-handed batter enjoyed a distinguished international career spanning from 2010 to 2022, earning 97 Test and 53 ODI caps.
He captained Pakistan in nine Tests and 31 ODIs and played a pivotal role in the nation’s historic ICC Champions Trophy triumph in 2017.
Statistically, the 40-year-old is among Pakistan’s modern-day greats, scoring 7,097 runs in 96 Test matches at an average of 42.49, making him the country’s fifth-highest Test run-scorer after Younis Khan, Javed Miandad, Inzamam-ul-Haq and Mohammad Yousuf.
His career included 19 centuries and 34 half-centuries, starting with a first Test 52 matches after his debut at Lord’s in 2010.
