ISLAMABAD (AP) — After a disastrous innings defeat to England, the Pakistan Cricket Board has revamped its selection committee ahead of the second test.
The PCB appointed former international umpire Aleem Dar, ex-test fast bowler Aqib Javed, former test captain Azhar Ali and analyst Hasan Cheema to the selection committee with voting rights. The committee already includes Pakistan captain Shan Masood and head coach Jason Gillespie.
The immediate task of the committee is to finalize the squad for the second test against England, starting Tuesday at Multan.
The PCB said in a statement that committee members held their first meeting in Lahore on Friday and will meet with the captain and coach in Multan on Saturday before the squad is named for the second test.
There are also four non-voting members on the selection panel, including assistant coach Azhar Mahmood and Bilal Afazal, an adviser to the PCB chairman.
Dar resigned from ICC’s elite panel last year, but has been supervising in domestic matches, including international games at home. Last month, Dar said he will quit umpiring at the end of the domestic season in 2025.
AP cricket:
England’s Ollie Pope, left, shakes hand with Pakistan’s Shan Masood on the end of the first test cricket match between Pakistan and England, in Multan, Pakistan, Friday, Oct. 11, 2024. (AP Photo/Anjum Naveed)
Stellantis, which makes Jeep and Chrysler vehicles, announced a number of significant leadership changes, including the timing of CEO Carlos Tavares’ retirement and the departure of its chief financial officer as it struggles to revive sales in North America.
Chief Financial Officer Natalie Knight will be replaced by Doug Ostermann, the company’s chief operating officer in China. In addition to naming Ostermann’s replacement in China, Stellantis also appointed a new chief operating officers in North America and in Europe.
Stellantis is the world’s fourth largest automaker and in September it announced that it was looking for a successor for Tavares, 66, as part of a planned leadership change. Tavares’ five-year contract was a little over a year from its expiration date in 2026, but the company said at the time that it was possible he might remain in the job beyond that.
The company said late Thursday that Tavares will step down in early 2026.
Tavares has been under fire from U.S. dealers and the United Auto Workers union after a dismal financial performance this year, caught off guard by too many high-priced vehicles on dealer lots. Tavares has been trying to cut costs by delaying factory openings, laying off union workers and offering buyouts to salaried employees.
Stellantis slashed its earnings forecast last month, saying it needed to make larger investments to turn around its U.S. operations amid a wider industry slump and increased competition from China.
Stellantis said at the time that it was accelerating efforts to improve operations in North America, bringing dealer inventory levels to no more than 300,000 vehicles by the end of the year, instead of the first quarter of 2025 as previously planned.
Stellantis was created in 2021 through the merger of PSA Peugeot and Fiat Chrysler Automobiles. It said in a statement that the formal process to find Tavares’ successor has already begun. The process is being led by a special committee of the board and will finish its work by the fourth quarter of 2025.
Shares of Stellantis fell more than 4% before the market opened Friday.
FILE – Stellantis CEO Carlos Tavares speaks during a news conference following a meeting with unions, March 31, 2022, in Turin, Italy. Tevares will retire in early 2026 and Chief Financial Officer Natalie Knight is stepping down as the world’s fourth biggest automaker contends with ongoing sales difficulties in North America. (Fabio Ferrari/LaPresse via AP, File)
