PCB to appoint Naveed Akram Cheema as team manager

The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) has decided to appoint Naveed Akram Cheema as the team manager for the upcoming two-Test series against Bangladesh, according to local reports on Tuesday.

Cheema recently worked as the team manager during Pakistan’s red-ball tour of Australia last year and the white-ball tour of New Zealand, where Pakistan unfortunately lost.

After these tours, when Mohsin Naqvi became the Chairman of the PCB, Cheema was replaced by Mansoor Rana as the team manager. Former fast bowler Wahab Riaz was also appointed as the senior team manager.

Pakistan did not perform well at the T20 World Cup 2024, where they were knocked out in the group stage after losing to the United States and India under the captaincy of Babar Azam.

Following Pakistan’s early exit from the World Cup, Riaz and Rana were removed from their positions. Now, the PCB, led by Mohsin Naqvi, has decided to bring back Cheema as the team manager.

The PCB is expected to announce the full team management for the Bangladesh series soon.

The two-Test series will start on August 21 in Rawalpindi. These matches are part of the World Test Championship (WTC) 2023-25, and both teams are eager to win and improve their positions on the WTC points table.

Squads:

Bangladesh: Najmul Hossain Shanto (c), Mahmudul Hasan Joy, Zakir Hasan, Shadman Islam, Mominul Haque, Mushfiqur Rahim, Shakib Al Hasan, Litton Kumar Das, Mehidy Hasan Miraz, Taijul Islam, Nayeem Hasan, Nahid Rana, Shoriful Islam, Hasan Mahmud, Taskin Ahmed, Syed Khaled Ahmed

Pakistan: Shan Masood (captain), Saud Shakeel (vice-captain), Aamir Jamal (subject to fitness), Abdullah Shafique, Abrar Ahmed, Babar Azam, Kamran Ghulam, Khurram Shahzad, Mir Hamza, Mohammad Ali, Mohammad Huraira, Mohammad Rizwan (wicket-keeper), Naseem Shah, Saim Ayub, Salman Ali Agha, Sarfaraz Ahmed (wicket-keeper), Shaheen Shah Afridi