Pakistan's cricket captain Shan Masood and head coach Jason Gillespie will no longer have the final say in team selection or deciding the playing eleven, as the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) has reduced their authority. According to a reliable source, the decision comes in the wake of Pakistan's defeat in the first Test against England.

A source within the PCB told PTI that although Masood and Gillespie were consulted for the upcoming second Test, their decision-making powers have been curtailed.

"The playing eleven for the second Test (against England) has been finalised after consulting Shan and Gillispie but like until the first Test they no longer have final say in the selection of the playing eleven," the source said.

The decision marks a departure from their initial roles as voting members of the selection committee alongside white-ball head coach Gary Kirsten, a position they had held since August. The move follows pressure from PCB Chairman Mohsin Naqvi, who opted to hand over full control to the revamped selection panel after Pakistan's poor performance in Multan.

The newly empowered selection committee now includes former cricketers Aaqib Javed, Aleem Dar, Azhar Ali, analyst Hasan Cheema, and existing member Asad Shafiq. The source added that the new selectors, who are already in Multan, are now directly involved in pitch discussions and strategizing for the second Test, reflecting their newfound authority.

"It appears after the first Test defeat in Multan the PCB chairman, Mohsin Naqvi decided to give complete authority to the revamped national selection committee which now includes Aaqib Javed, Aleem Dar, Azhar Ali, analyst Hasan Cheema and old member, Asad Shafiq.

"The surprising thing is that the selectors are in Multan and have been in charge of talking to the ground staff about the pitch for the second Test and even have final authority on what sort of strategy would be adopted for the match," the source said.

In a surprising move, the selectors have dropped several key players, including Babar Azam, Shaheen Shah Afridi, Naseem Shah, and Sarfaraz Ahmed, for the remaining two Tests against England. However, it was revealed that Shaheen and Naseem had informed the selectors of slight injuries and requested to withdraw from the second Test.

This change in team leadership structure occurred after Chairman Naqvi met with domestic team mentors and the newly appointed selectors on Saturday. The meeting involved prominent figures such as Aqib Javed, Azhar Ali, Aleem Dar, Hasan Cheema, and advisor Bilal Afzal.

Also in attendance were Domestic Cricket Director Abdullah Khurram Niazi, High-Performance Director Nadeem Khan, and mentors Shoaib Malik, Misbah-ul-Haq, Waqar Younis, and Saqlain Mushtaq. Sarfaraz Ahmed and Asad Shafiq joined the meeting virtually.