Controversy and Pakistan Cricket are synonymous for a long time. If anyone is to answer what’s wrong with Pakistan cricket, the answer will be a resounding yes. With Babar Azam at the helm, it seemed that there was stability. But alas! That wasn’t the case. Pakistan cricket’s darling stepped down following yet another disappointing World Cup campaign and since then, it has only been a rocky ride for the men in green. The two episodes of Salman Butt and Shaheen Afridi & Co turning out to be porters in Sydney are just the latest.
From conflict of interest allegations to sending 17 support staff members to accompanying 18 players on the Australia tour and then turning those players into porters at Sydney airport, Pakistan Cricket has seen it all in just two weeks. InsideSport takes a look at everything that has gone wrong in the cricket-loving country.
PCB vs Players: Players revolting against PCB isn’t a new thing. While former chief Ramiz Raja tried to handle PCB affairs with an iron-clad, it backfired on Zaka Ashraf. Players refused to sign contracts and played the World Cup without any. But players finally agreed post-World Cup after most of them accepted to forgo franchise league dreams. In return, Pakistani players got a share of ICC’s revenue for the first time.
Conflict of interest: From Zaka Ashraf to chief selector (former) Inzamam Ul Haq to Wahab Riaz, almost everyone is embroiled in conflict of interest allegations. PCB chief Zaka Ashraf faced allegations that he appointed several key members when he did not have the power to do so. Inzamam was accused of favouritism as his player agency managed players like Mohd Rizwan and Shaheen Afridi. Wahab Riaz is still an active player in PSL and plays for Peshawar Zalmi.
17 support staff for 18 players. Doesn’t it sound irresponsible for a cash-strapped board? Well, it’s Pakistan and anything is possible to appease the hierarchy. Pakistan have sent an assistant batting coach and an assistant team manager on the Australia tour.
Players turn porters: Despite a team manager and an assistant team manager, the likes of Babar Azam and Shaheen Afridi found no welcome in Sydney. Forget welcome, when the Pakistan cricket team reached, they had to move their own luggage from one terminal to the other.
Change in captaincy again: The lack of stability in the board reflects also in captaincy. And with yet another World Cup failure, Babar Azam stepped down as the captain. And now, Pakistan have split captaincy with Shan Masood leading the Test team while Shaheen Afridi is the T20I captain.
Salman Butt: Appoint a player as an adviser who has been convicted of match-fixing. That’s Pakistan cricket. Former Pakistan captain Salman Butt who was jailed in the UK for an infamous spot-fixing row became a selection consultant. But under fire, PCB removed Salman Butt from the post within 24 hours to write a sorry picture.
Change in selection committee: Like the Pakistan Cricket Board, the selection committee too has been a musical chair. To make it worse, most of them have been on a series-to-series basis role. After Shahid Afridi, Inzamam Ul Haq came on board and as he stepped down, Pakistan appointed Wahab Riaz. Don’t be surprised if Pakistan appoint another if the Australia-New Zealand tour fails.
Entire coaching staff reshuffled: After a lot of back and forth, Pakistan reappointed Mickey Arthur as the director. However, with World Cup disappointment, Pakistan have reshuffled the entire coaching staff. Mohammad Hafeez is the new director with Arthur going to the NCA to oversee preparations of aspiring cricketers.
World Cup debacle: T20 World Cup 2021, T20 World Cup 2022, Asia Cup 2022, Asia Cup 2023 and the latest World Cup 2023, Pakistan have had a torrid run at the mega events of late. But in India, Pakistan came in as one of the favourites to reach the semifinal at least. However, a loss to Afghanistan shattered their hopes.
And PCB during the tournament issued a statement, throwing captain Babar Azam and chief selector Inzamam Ul Haq under the bus for the performance. Mickey Arthur who was the director termed it a witch hunt by the PCB.
Infighting: To top it all, there have been several reports of infighting inside the PCB. Two management committee members complained against Zaka Ashraf for misusing his position. And then, there were reports of a rift inside Pakistan Cricket Team, especially between Babar Azam and Shaheen Afridi.
