Pakistan captain Salman Ali Agha, right, chats with teammate Shaheen Shah Afridi during the T20 World Cup cricket match between Pakistan and Sri Lanka in Pallekele, Sri Lanka, Saturday, Feb. 28, 2026. (AP) Senior selection committee member Aleem Dar has resigned from his position at the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) following the national team’s exit from the T20 World Cup, news agency PTI reported on Tuesday, citing sources. His resignation comes after Pakistan failed to reach the semi-finals of the tournament.“Former ICC elite panel umpire Dar has sent his resignation which is yet to be accepted,” a source close to the PCB was quoted as saying by PTI.
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Dar serves on the selection committee alongside former Test cricketers Asad Shafiq and Aaqib Javed. According to a PTI report, Dar stepped down due to concerns over the authority vested in head coach Mike Hesson in making team selection decisions.“Aleem is very upset that when the World Cup team was selected, he resisted including Babar Azam and Shadab Khan in the team without any performance but Hesson insisted on having them,” said a source quoted by PTI.The source added that Dar was surprised that captain Salman Agha and other selectors did not oppose the coach’s role in the process.“Aleem also insisted that if Babar and Shadab were called up without appearances, Muhammad Rizwan should be included instead of Usman Khan due to his experience, but no one supported him.Pakistan lost to India in the group stage and then to England in the Super Eight stage, while their match against New Zealand was lost. They beat Sri Lanka in their last Super Eight match but still failed to qualify for the semi-finals.According to a PTI report, the team’s performance has raised concerns within the PCB and among government officials.The PCB also reportedly imposed fines of PKR 50 million on each player after the team failed to reach the semi-finals. The Express Tribune reported on Monday that PCB “officials have made it clear to the players that enough pampering has been done – from now on, financial benefits will only come with performance.”
