Aaqib slams PCB’s policies

LAHORE: Former fast bowler Aaqib Javed has said that the condition of Pakistan cricket has deteriorated and the PCB was not realising it.

Talking to reporters here after Pakistan's defeat in the ODI series against England, he said that the current management of the PCB stopped a properly running system two years ago.

Aaqib said that work was not being done at the lower level and the trend of setting up academies had come to an end. “Academies were set up in different cities, out of them players used to come forward, now that process has been stopped. Where is the work being done on the technique of the players, Pakistan has no batsmen at all, the technique is exposed on seam and bouncy wickets,” he said.

“The world is playing modern-day cricket and we are playing cricket of the 90s when 250 was considered a winning total. England's white ball cricket was bad a few years ago, but they set up a playing zone for themselves.

“England played cricket to improve their strike rate without fear of being out. The strike rate increases not just by hitting sixes but also by playing technical shots,” he said.

Aqib said that it was said that there would be no compromise on fitness. “We can assess the fitness standard from the fact that there are players like Sharjeel Khan and Azam Khan in the team,” he added.