Pakistan team in action©AFP
Former Pakistan captain Rashid Latif did not mince words while criticising his team for their earlier than expected elimination from the T20 World Cup. Pakistan finished third in Group A for the first time in the tournament’s history after losing to India and T20 World Cup debutants USA. Captain Babar Azam and the players have come under heavy criticism from former Pakistan players but Latif refused to place all the blame on the team.
Latif suggested there was a lack of unity following reports of collectivism within the team but he believed the problem lay with the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB).
“If you turn the clock back, we played two World Cups – Dubai (2021) and Australia (2022) – and the team was almost the same. Three, no, four players have changed this time. It seems there is a change in attitude this time. Pakistan players were united then. I always say there are a lot of players who want to play but there is no one who should play them properly and there is a glaring shortage of talent,” Latif said on his YouTube channel.
Latif stressed that the constant shifting of power within the PCB has affected the dynamics in the dressing room, adding that players need a stable environment.
“The atmosphere and behaviour in the dressing room is always a deciding factor. Whenever there is a change in the upper echelons or management, the coaching staff also changes. It should not be like that. The dressing room must remain stable. All the cricket boards except Pakistan, especially the countries playing Test matches, have prepared well for the T20 World Cup. Education of who is the chairman and who he is talking to plays a key role,” he added.
Apart from this, Pakistan coach Gary Kirsten’s comments on the lack of team cohesion also became a hot topic.
Pakistani journalist Iftisham-ul-Haq quoted Gary Kirsten as saying, “There is no unity in the Pakistan team. They call themselves a team but they are not a team. They do not support each other. Everyone is divided left and right. I have worked in many teams and I have never seen anything like this.”
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