Claim: Geo News reports that Shahid Afridi was appointed chief selector of Pakistan’s men’s cricket team in September 2026.
Fact: The Geo News graphic is from December 2022, when the PCB appointed Afridi interim chief selector for the home series against New Zealand. The PCB has not announced a new appointment in September 2026.
On 10 September 2026, Facebook user Amna Aman shared an old Geo News graphic in a public post, captioning it in Urdu: “پی سی بی کا ایک عرصے کے بعد بہترین فیصلہ ہے”
[Translation: “This is PCB’s best decision in a long time.”]
The graphic itself states: “شاہد آفریدی کو چیف سلیکٹر بنا دیا گیا”
[Translation: “Shahid Afridi has been made chief selector.”]
The Facebook post falsely presents a 2022 Geo News graphic as a current announcement of Shahid Afridi’s appointment as chief selector.
Pakistan’s selection committee under scrutiny
The old graphic resurfaced amid upheaval in Pakistan’s men’s cricket setup during the team’s Test series against England, following heavy defeats in the first two Tests. On 31 August, the Pakistan Cricket Board announced that seven players had been released from the Test squad after the second Test at Lord’s. Mohammad Rizwan, Imam ul Haq, Salman Ali Agha, Ali Usman, Aamir Jamal, Muhammad Awais Zafar, and Khurram Shahzad were among those released. The PCB also released Sarfaraz Ahmed and Umar Gul, replacing them in the backroom staff with Mike Hesson and Ashley Noffke.
The changes also placed the national selection committee under scrutiny. On 1 September, Geo News reported that the PCB had sought written explanations from Aqib Javed, Misbah ul Haq, and Asad Shafiq over the selection of Mohammad Rizwan and Imam ul Haq for the West Indies and England Test tours. According to the report, the selectors were asked to explain the players’ performances, the criteria used for their selection, and other factors considered when recommending them.
The same day, Geo News reported that Misbah had decided to resign from the selection committee, citing sources close to the former Pakistan captain. The report said he had informed the PCB of his decision and would formally leave after completing his notice period.
Aqib also publicly addressed criticism of the selection decisions. Geo News reported that he accepted responsibility for the squad selected by the committee, while maintaining that decisions about combination decisions during a series, including who played in the eleven, rested with the captain and head coach.
Afridi himself criticised the PCB’s mid-series changes. Reuters reported on 1 September that Afridi questioned the logic behind the overhaul, including the selection of players he considered more suited to T20 cricket for the Test squad. Former Pakistan captain Ramiz Raja and former coach Mickey Arthur also criticised the board’s handling of the changes.
Criticism of the selection setup continued in the days that followed. On 4 September, Reuters reported that former Pakistan coach Jason Gillespie criticised the lack of stability around the team and the selection strategy under Aqib Javed. Gillespie said repeated changes had undermined consistency and told Aqib to “look at himself in the mirror”.
The old Afridi graphic therefore resurfaced while Pakistan’s selection structure was under considerable scrutiny, following changes to the Test squad and coaching staff, Misbah ul Haq’s reported decision to leave the selection committee, and public criticism of selection decisions under Aqib Javed.
Fact or Fiction?
Soch Fact Check searched the wording displayed in the viral graphic and traced it to December 2022, when the Pakistan Cricket Board appointed Afridi interim chief selector for the home series against New Zealand. On 24 December 2022, Geo News published an Urdu report headlined, “شاہد آفریدی قومی ٹیم کے چیف سلیکٹر مقرر”, or “Shahid Afridi appointed chief selector of the national team”. The report said Afridi had been appointed to lead an interim selection committee for Pakistan’s home series against New Zealand. Abdul Razzaq and Rao Iftikhar Anjum were named as members, while Haroon Rashid was appointed convener. The report predates the September 2026 posts by almost four years.
Geo Super also reported on 24 December 2022 that Afridi had been appointed a temporary chief selector. It similarly stated that the newly appointed PCB management committee had constituted an interim selection committee headed by Afridi.
PCB confirms Afridi’s appointment was temporary
The Pakistan Cricket Board’s own announcement confirms both the date and temporary nature of Afridi’s appointment. In a press release published on 24 December 2022, the PCB announced that Afridi would serve as the “interim Chair of the Men’s National Selection Committee for the home series against New Zealand”. It named Abdul Razzaq and Rao Iftikhar Anjum as members, with Haroon Rashid as convener. The PCB therefore did not appoint Afridi indefinitely as Pakistan’s chief selector. His role was explicitly described as interim and was tied to the New Zealand home series.
The PCB continued to refer to the panel as the Men’s Interim National Selection Committee during the series. For example, on 28 December 2022, the board announced 22 probables for the New Zealand ODIs and identified the panel as an interim committee. The viral Geo News graphic therefore refers to a genuine announcement, but one made in December 2022 under a temporary arrangement.
Afridi’s interim tenure ended in January 2023
Afridi did not remain Pakistan’s chief selector after the temporary arrangement. On 23 January 2023, the PCB announced that former Pakistan batter Haroon Rashid had been appointed chair of the Men’s National Selection Committee. The board said the remaining members of his panel would be announced later. The appointment came shortly after the New Zealand home series for which Afridi’s interim committee had been constituted.
In May 2023, the PCB subsequently announced a national men’s selection committee headed by Rashid, alongside Hassan Cheema, Mickey Arthur, and Grant Bradburn. Afridi was not part of that committee. The chronology confirms that Afridi’s role was temporary and ended in early 2023.
No new Afridi appointment announced in September 2026
Soch Fact Check also checked the PCB’s official website for evidence of a new appointment. As of 14 September 2026, the PCB’s official committees page lists Aqib Javed, Misbah ul Haq, Sarfaraz Ahmed, and Asad Shafiq as members of the Men’s National Selection Committee. Since Misbah had already been reported as intending to resign, the page may not reflect every recent personnel development. However, Shahid Afridi is not listed as a member.
Soch Fact Check also reviewed the PCB’s recent press releases during the period in which the claim circulated. The board published several updates on 9, 10, and 11 September, but its newsroom contains no announcement appointing Afridi as chief selector.
For comparison, when Afridi was actually appointed in December 2022, the PCB formally announced the decision through its website and clearly described both his position and the limited duration of the appointment. The available primary evidence therefore does not support the claim that the old Geo News graphic documents a new appointment in September 2026.
Virality
Soch Fact Check identified at least 17 posts sharing the 2022 graphic as a current development, including eight on Facebook, two on Instagram, one on Threads, and six on X (formerly Twitter). As of 14 September 2026, the main Facebook post reviewed had received approximately 1,300 reactions, 192 comments, and 20 shares. Across the platforms reviewed, the graphic was repeatedly circulated without its original December 2022 publication date and misrepresented as a new appointment.
Conclusion: The claim is false. The viral Geo News graphic dates back to December 2022, when the Pakistan Cricket Board appointed Shahid Afridi interim chief selector specifically for the home series against New Zealand. His temporary tenure ended in January 2023, and the PCB has announced no fresh appointment of Afridi to the role.
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