‘Pakistan losses against England due to PCB’s wrong policies’

KARACHI: Former Pakistan Test fast bowler Abdul Rauf has said that the failure of Pakistan in England in the first two ODIs was the result of PCB’s wrong policies for the last three years.

Talking to ‘The News’, he said that PCB had been talking about strengthening the cricket system in the country since its current management took charge. “But what have they done to our cricket? This team that failed against an English team that had so many debutants?” he added. “This is the result of the whole PCB’s policies and planning.

“When Covid-19 positive cases were identified in English team players and team officials, in a few hours they changed the players and team officials, appointed a new captain and new team officials and they won,” he said. “This is what a strong cricket system is capable of doing,” he added.

He said that PCB did not organise a district and city level cricket tournament in the past two years. “Such results were already predicted by those who know the game. They had been pointing out the follies of the Board,” said Rauf.

“The game of cricket has changed and its need and demands are totally different, which PCB top management failed to understand. They are hiding behind the big names like Waqar Younis, Misbah-ul-Haq, and Saqlain Mushtaq,” the fast bowler said.

He said that Waqar and Misbah had had multiple roles with Pakistan team, but they failed to produce good middle order and opening batsmen.

Rauf said PCB chairman Ehsan Mani, CEO Wasim Khan, Waqar and Saqlain knew very well what was like to play in England as they had lived and played in England for years. “But how Pakistan team is surrendering against a third-tier English team is hard to swallow,” he said.

He further said that Babar Azam was a top-notch batsman but he was not capable of leading. “He cannot read the different conditions and cannot produce good results under pressure,” he added.

Rauf said that alarm bells rang when Sri Lanka defeated Pakistan in the ODI series and Zimbabwe also defeated Pakistan at home ground last year.

He said that unless PCB appointed those coaches and assistant coaches who were qualified in sports sciences and had done level-3 or level-4 coaching courses, Pakistan would not be able to survive at the international level.

He said that Pakistan team was mentally shattered in England. “Their body language showed they lacked the fighting spirit and the team management was also devastated and was fighting only for its jobs,” he said.

He, however, said that the same players who played the first two ODIs should play in the third ODI as there was no time for experiments.

He also said that PCB claimed that they would not compromise on fitnes, but four to five players were not super fit. Rauf asked what the criteria was for appointing Nadeem Khan and Junaid Zia on key positions.