It has been a tumultuous past few weeks for Pakistan cricket. Last month, the team suffered a disastrous T20 World Cup campaign, crashing out in the group stage after a shock defeat to the United States. Led by Babar Azam, the team also lost to arch rivals India to bow out of the tournament. Prior to this, the team and Babar’s captaincy were heavily criticised. On Wednesday, former cricketers Wahab Riaz and Abdul Razzaq were sacked by the PCB selection committee, becoming the first casualties of the disastrous World Cup defeat.
But the storm is only just beginning, as multiple reports in Pakistani media (Geo News and Samaa TV) have accused coach Gary Kirsten of inappropriate behaviour towards coaches and support staff on past tours.
Afridi’s behaviour towards his coaching staff was described as inappropriate, though the exact nature of the “misconduct” has not been made clear. To compound the situation, the report goes on to say that team managers failed to take disciplinary action against Afridi during the tour.
It is notable that Afridi was appointed captain of Pakistan’s white-ball team after Babar’s departure following a poor performance in last year’s ODI World Cup. However, the star batsman reinstated the captaincy ahead of this year’s T20 World Cup after Shaheen’s Pakistan team lost the T20I series 4-1 to New Zealand in January.
This is not the first time Kirsten has made such a claim. After the T20 World Cup debacle, it was widely reported that the South African coach said there was a “lack of unity in the team”. It was also reported that Kirsten was not happy with the team’s fitness levels and issued a stern warning to players that they needed to focus on “fitness and unity”.
Wahab reacts to firing
The former Pakistan bowler, who was removed from the national team selectors on Wednesday, issued a statement in which he insisted he had worked for the team with “sincerity and sincerity”. He also wished Gary Kirsten and the team the best of luck, but added that he “doesn’t want to join the blame game” even though he has “a lot to say”.
