Senior Pakistan Cricket Board selector Aaqib Javed has blamed sacked Test captain Shan Masood and the team management for the recurring leadership and game-management issues.

Pakistan's Test team head coach Sarfaraz Ahmed has admitted that fitness issues still remains a concern in the national side ahead of its upcoming tours of the Caribbean and England.

Pakistan batter Babar Azam could be set for another stint as the country's T20I captain, with reports suggesting the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) is considering restoring him to the role ahead of the team's upcoming assignments.

Shan Masood's firing seemed inevitable after the team lost 12 of 16 matches during his tenure, which began in late 2023.

Babar Azam has returned to lead Pakistan's test cricket team after Shan Masood was axed from the role on Sunday.

Pakistan will face the West Indies in a two-Test series starting July 25, before taking on England in a three-match Test series beginning August 19.

Indian cricket's latest poster boy, Vaibhav Sooryavanshi, on Saturday ended days of anxious waiting for his international debut

For the first time, the PCB had announced format wise categories last month and accordingly the traditional A to D categories were done away with.

The Pakistan star is facing the country v club debate, and he will have to decide whether to join the national team for red-ball cricket or his franchise for white-ball cricket.

The selectors have also announced a young revamped national T20 squad for the Asian Games in Japan later this year but are yet to give clarity on their plans regarding the established players.

Pakistani selectors are waiting on the fitness reports of senior players, Saud Shakeel and Mohammad Rizwan, before they finalise the Test squad for the tours of West Indies and England between July-September.

The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) and national selectors have started the process to have separate teams for the three different formats of the sport with categorisation of central contracts being the first step.

Pakistan's senior selector Aaqib Javed has issued a sharp challenge to former players, urging them to trade "air-conditioned rooms" for the cricket field.

Centrally contracted Pakistan players in the red ball Track A category are set to see an increase in their match fees and will also be given a boost in their monthly salaries for the 2026/27 cycle.

Pakistan's recent fall in Tests has prompted former players to suggest to the PCB that it make it mandatory for players to participate in domestic cricket.

The Pakistan cricket chief, Mohsin Naqvi, is set to induct three to four former Test and international stalwarts to help him in his bid to bring about improvements in the under-fire system of the game.

The top officials of the Pakistan Cricket Board are set to meet over this weekend here to decide on the future of Test captain Shan Masood and head coach Sarfaraz Ahmed.

Shaheen Afridi, who has played 34 Tests for his 126 wickets, has in contrast appeared in 77 ODIs and 103 T20 Internationals since his debut back in 2018.