Cricket News
Former Pakistan skipper slams ex-PCB chairman Zaka Ashraf for poor ODI World Cup 2023 performance
After the ODI World Cup 2023, Babar Azam resigned as skipper of Pakistan from all formats of the game.
Inzamam ul Haq, the former captain and chairman of the selectors, was incensed with Zaka Ashraf, the departing top head of the Pakistan Cricket Board, over the team’s dismal performance in the ODI World Cup in India last year. Zaka, who was appointed chairman of the interim management committee to oversee PCB matters in July, abruptly resigned from his position as chairman and board member a few days ago during a committee meeting.
As a result of accusations of a “conflict of interest,” namely that he is handled by the exact same UK-based management company that also looks after the commercial interests of several of the current players, Inzamam was actually dismissed following the tournament.
Inzamam-ul-Haq spoke on a Pakistani news channel “Can you imagine the mindset of the players when during an important event like the World Cup in India they hear that the PCB Chairman is saying the team selected was not done by the board but by the captain and chief selector only.”
Inzamam was alluding to a press statement released by PCB at Zaka’s request following Pakistan’s World Cup defeats, in which the team entirely denied any accountability for the side that was chosen and made suggestions that captain Babar Azam would be fired following the competition.
The former right-handed batter was tormented while commenting on this. He said, “Just think what must be going through the players mind when they hear that an inquiry committee has been formed against the chief selector and he has resigned. Where does this happen?”
“The team was struggling in the World Cup” : Inzamam-ul-Haq
According to Inzamam, everyone was aware of Zaka’s methods for managing the PCB. Additionally, Inzamam believed that Pakistan cricket and the PCB should no longer be managed on an as-needed basis.
The former Pakistan skipper said, “These changes affected the performance of the team and just imagine when they can put pressure on a world class performer like Babar Azam what would the other players be thinking. The team was struggling in the World Cup and they needed to be given full confidence but this didn’t happen.”
