On Thursday (26th October), the Pakistan Cricket Board issued a press release in which it cryptically hinted that Babar Azam’s captaincy could be sacked after the ongoing ICC Cricket World Cup 2023. Notably, the Pakistan Cricket Board has not paid any salary to any cricketer in the past several months.
The press release said, “The PCB acknowledges the emotions and sentiments of cricket fans following the three consecutive defeats faced by the national team in the ICC World Cup 2023. In this challenging environment, the board administration hopes that the cricketing fraternity and fans will continue to support captain Babar Azam and the entire Pakistan cricket team.”
It added, “The national team still has four crucial matches remaining in the round-robin stage, and the PCB is optimistic that the team will regroup, overcome the setbacks and perform positively and effectively in the upcoming fixtures.”
PCB urges cricket fraternity to support Pakistan Team
— PCB Media (@TheRealPCBMedia) October 26, 2023
Read more ⤵️ https://t.co/yoJtz7MHBe
PCB said, “Addressing the media scrutiny directed at captain Babar Azam and the team management, the board’s stance, echoing that of former cricketers, is that successes and defeats are part of the game. Captain Babar Azam and Chief Selector Inzamam-ul-Haq were given freedom and support in forming the squad for the ICC World Cup 2023.”
Hinting at the sacking of Babar Azam’s captaincy, the Board said, “Looking ahead, the board will make decisions in the best interest of Pakistan cricket based on the team’s performances in the World Cup. At present, the PCB encourages fans, former players and stakeholders to rally behind the team as they strive to make a triumphant comeback in the mega-event.”
پی سی بی کی شائقین اور سابق کرکٹرز سے پاکستان مینز ٹیم کو سپورٹ کی اپیل
— PCB Media (@TheRealPCBMedia) October 26, 2023
آئی سی سی ورلڈ کپ 2023ء میں قومی ٹیم کی متواتر تین ناکامیوں پر بورڈ شائقین کرکٹ کے جذبات اور احساسات کو سمجھتا ہے، البتہ اس موقع پر بورڈ انتظامیہ عوام اور سابق کرکٹرز سے امید رکھتی ہے کہ مشکل کی اس گھڑی میں…
Earlier this week, Babar Azam-led Pakistani team encountered an unexpected loss to Afghanistan, marking their first defeat in ODIs against Afghanistan. This defeat has significantly impacted their position, leaving them with a negative Net Run Rate (NRR) in the points table of the current tournament. Babar’s leadership choices were heavily criticised, with several former Pakistani cricket stars, such as Wasim Akram, Shahid Afridi, and Misbah-ul-Haq, questioning his defensive strategies.
In a TV show on the Pakistani channel PTV Sports, Pakistani cricket team’s former captain Rashid Latif said, “There are a lot of things going on in the Pakistani media. The things which should not be known are becoming the news. And it happens so easily in Pakistan. They can be false news. But they need to be stopped. Babar Azam has been texting the PCB chairman for the last two days and he is not getting any reply. Why he is not replying to the captain of our team? And then the board is issuing such press releases and telling players that we will review the central contract that you have signed once again.”
My only question is, should this be done mid tournament? Sad state of affairs if true #PCB #PAKvsSA #ZakaAshraf #BabarAzam pic.twitter.com/McaYg1Pi0t
— Alisha Imran (@Alishaimran111) October 27, 2023
Rashid Latif added, “The players have not received any salary for the last five months. How will the players play the game then? These things were not told but I thought let it go a bit farther. There are so many things behind it. I want to tell you all those things. But right now we are discussing this cricket world Cup. Otherwise, it would have been a separate show of 2 hours to discuss these things.”
Rashid Latif further said, “Who is facing the problems? You see media houses that are abruptly shut down by the IB ministry. They are facing the problems. Our captain’s character is a choker. This is not done. Everything depends on him. You get 40 crore rupees for a tournament. Franchise are after you. Pressure is increasing. What happened to Rizwan in the match against Afghanistan? He was in the trouble. He did not want to put the sticker of the company. The franchise is forcing him to do so. He is also forced by the people who have issued a press release now. The Board members have no right to talk. Let this World Cup finish. We will see much more after this.”
Despite initial expectations that the Pakistan Cricket Team would easily secure a spot in the Cricket World Cup semifinals, their journey has been far from abysmal. They first faced a defeat at the hands of Team India, and this loss seemed to set the tone for their subsequent matches. Their misfortunes continued as they suffered a 62-run loss to Australia and an additional blow with an 8-wicket loss to their neighbours Afghanistan. To add to their string of disappointments, South Africa clinched a victory over Pakistan by a single wicket on Friday (27th October), marking their fourth consecutive loss.
