Tauseef blames team management for West Indies series loss

KARACHI: Former Pakistan Test cricketer Tauseef Ahmed has said that West Indies’ 2-1 ODI series win — their first against Pakistan in 34 years — should be an eye-opener for the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB).

Talking to The News, he said the humiliating defeat in the final match of the series highlighted the team management’s lack of understanding of the importance and requirements of ODI cricket.

Tauseef said that losing by 202 runs to a low-ranked West Indies side exposed the shortcomings of both the selectors and the team management, who failed to meet the demands of modern-day cricket.

“First, we lost the T20 series against Bangladesh, and now we’ve lost the ODI series in the West Indies. This clearly shows that many things are going wrong in our efforts to strengthen the Pakistan team ahead of major events like the T20 Asia Cup 2025 and the ODI World Cup 2026,” he said.

Tauseef stressed the need for a major overhaul in Pakistan cricket, both at domestic and international levels. He said the influence of franchise cricket is visible in the national team’s performance. “In the last ODI against West Indies, we conceded 110 runs in the final 10 overs, which shows the bowlers are unable to adapt to 50-over cricket demands,” he said.

Commenting on captain Rizwan Ahmed’s claim that the lack of a fifth bowler led to the West Indies’ big score, Tauseef asked, “Who was responsible for not including a fifth bowler? Why were Shaheen Shah Afridi or Sufyan Muqeem left out of the final ODI?” He also questioned why talented players like Sufyan and Sahibzada Farhan have not been given proper opportunities. “Farhan has performed remarkably in all formats in domestic competitions, yet he hasn’t been given a fair chance to prove himself at the international level,” Tauseef said.

“We must give deserving players proper opportunities so that we can form a strong playing XI, along with capable players on the bench,” he added. Tauseef urged PCB chairman Mohsin Naqvi to personally oversee cricket affairs, especially the selection of players for all three formats, the appointments of coaches and officials, and the standard of domestic cricket. “All talent comes from domestic cricket. If its quality is poor, how can we produce skilled players?” he asked.

He cautioned the chairman against relying solely on the advice of certain PCB advisers, claiming that their suggestions are pushing Pakistan cricket toward further decline. Tauseef also said that all players should be required to play full domestic seasons, except when on national duty. “Otherwise, we will be left with only T20 specialists,” he said.