Pakistan Test captain Shan Masood has been handed a dual responsibility after being named the new Director of International Cricket Operations by the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB). The left-handed batter, who recently led Pakistan to a 1-1 draw in the Test series against South Africa, will now also oversee the country’s international cricket affairs.
Shan Masood Takes on Dual Role in Pakistan Cricket Setup
According to PCB sources, the decision was made following internal discussions, with all board members agreeing that Shan Masood was the most suitable candidate to lead the department. The appointment is considered unusual, as very few active cricketers have simultaneously taken up an administrative role while still representing the national team.
“𝑻𝒉𝒆𝒓𝒆 𝒘𝒂𝒔 𝒂 𝒄𝒍𝒆𝒂𝒓 𝒄𝒐𝒏𝒔𝒆𝒏𝒔𝒖𝒔 𝒕𝒉𝒂𝒕 𝑺𝒉𝒂𝒏 𝒊𝒔 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒃𝒆𝒔𝒕 𝒎𝒂𝒏 𝒕𝒐 𝒍𝒆𝒂𝒅 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒊𝒏𝒕𝒆𝒓𝒏𝒂𝒕𝒊𝒐𝒏𝒂𝒍 𝒄𝒓𝒊𝒄𝒌𝒆𝒕 𝒂𝒇𝒇𝒂𝒊𝒓𝒔 𝒅𝒆𝒑𝒂𝒓𝒕𝒎𝒆𝒏𝒕,” 𝒔𝒂𝒊𝒅 𝒂 𝑷𝑪𝑩 𝒊𝒏𝒔𝒊𝒅𝒆𝒓.
Mohsin Naqvi Announces Appointment During Dinner with PM
Sources revealed that PCB Chairman Mohsin Naqvi made the official announcement during a dinner meeting with Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, attended by both the Pakistan and South African squads.
Previously, Usman Wahla held the role before being suspended over the Handshakegate controversy during the Asia Cup encounter between India and Pakistan in Dubai. Though reinstated, Wahla is now expected to be reassigned to another department, likely the Pakistan Super League (PSL), following Masood’s appointment.
“𝑻𝒉𝒊𝒔 𝒊𝒔 𝒂 𝒎𝒖𝒍𝒕𝒊-𝒅𝒊𝒎𝒆𝒏𝒔𝒊𝒐𝒏𝒂𝒍 𝒍𝒆𝒂𝒅𝒆𝒓𝒔𝒉𝒊𝒑 𝒓𝒐𝒍𝒆, 𝒇𝒐𝒄𝒖𝒔𝒊𝒏𝒈 𝒐𝒏 𝒎𝒂𝒏𝒂𝒈𝒊𝒏𝒈 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝑷𝒂𝒌𝒊𝒔𝒕𝒂𝒏 𝒕𝒆𝒂𝒎 𝒂𝒏𝒅 𝒐𝒗𝒆𝒓𝒔𝒆𝒆𝒊𝒏𝒈 𝒊𝒏𝒕𝒆𝒓𝒏𝒂𝒕𝒊𝒐𝒏𝒂𝒍 𝒄𝒓𝒊𝒄𝒌𝒆𝒕 𝒐𝒑𝒆𝒓𝒂𝒕𝒊𝒐𝒏𝒔,” 𝒔𝒕𝒂𝒕𝒆𝒅 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝑷𝑪𝑩’𝒔 𝒐𝒇𝒇𝒊𝒄𝒊𝒂𝒍 𝒋𝒐𝒃 𝒅𝒆𝒔𝒄𝒓𝒊𝒑𝒕𝒊𝒐𝒏.
Former captain Misbah-ul-Haq was initially considered the frontrunner for the role, but the PCB eventually chose Shan Masood, recognizing his leadership skills and cricketing acumen.
Masood, who made his international debut in 2013, has represented Pakistan in 44 Tests, nine ODIs, and 19 T20Is. While not part of the current white-ball setup, his influence in red-ball cricket continues to grow.
Pakistan will now shift focus to the upcoming three-match T20I series against South Africa, followed by a three-game ODI series to conclude the tour.
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