Merit under fire: cricketer’s family stages unique protests against PCB

KHYBER: A unique and emotional protest took place in Landi Kotal Bazaar’s Bacha Khan Chowk, where a father and son demonstrated against alleged nepotism and violation of merit in the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) District Khyber’s Under-19, Under-17, and Under-15 selection trials.

According to local sources, Amir Nawaz Shinwari, the father of young cricketer Shah Fahad Amir, expressed strong resentment over what he called unjust and biased selections by the District Khyber selectors.

During the protest, in a moment of anger and frustration, he poured petrol on his son’s cricket gear and set it on fire, calling it a symbol of the death of merit in local cricket.

Shinwari alleged that the District Khyber selection committee, particularly selector Taimur Afridi, had chosen players based on favoritism rather than talent.

“My son’s age fully meets the Under-19 criteria, and he performed brilliantly in the recent Challenge Cup,” said Shinwari. “Despite his performance, he was unfairly excluded from the trials, which is highly discouraging for young and passionate players.”

He called on PCB’s top officials to restore transparency and merit in the selection process and to conduct an immediate inquiry into what he described as the unfair behavior of the District Khyber selection committee.

Shinwari said that only by ensuring fairness in selection can real cricketing talent from the region come forward and represent Pakistan at higher levels.