PCB denies 'panic situation' after Zim loss ahead of selection for SA tour

The Pakistan Cricket Board's selection committee is expected to start the selection process for the home series against South Africa today, with preliminary squads for all formats in the first phase.

According to The Express Tribune, the selectors are meeting at a time when calls for drastic changes in the team have recurred following a humiliating defeat to lower-ranked Zimbabwe in the final Test in Harare.

Former cricketers are demanding the exclusion of players, who have failed consistently, and want the injection of new blood in the team, the report said.

However, an official said that there was no panic situation within the selection committee and that the initial pool of players would be more or less the same, adding that the committee is targeting to form a pool of 40-50 players for all the formats in addition to the three-day warm-up game.

He said that all the senior players including Taufeeq Umar, Imran Farhat and Umar Gul, are in contention at the moment, as the selectors were not overlooking any mainstream player.

Pakistan will host two Tests, five One-Day Internationals and a couple of Twenty20s against South Africa in the UAE from October 14 to November 15, the report added.

The official said that the final decision on the squads would be taken after reviewing reports on the tour of Zimbabwe from the manager Moin Khan and captain Misbahul Haq.