NEWS
Follow UsThe lack of unity within the Pakistan team and between the board and players was one of the major points of discussion at the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) organised 'connection camp', which ended on September 23 (Monday).
Pakistan have been struggling for a while. They lost to Afghanistan in the 2023 ODI World Cup and failed to qualify for the semi-finals. The Men in Green then suffered a humiliating defeat at the hands of the USA in the 2024 T20 World Cup and were knocked out in the first round. If that wasn’t enough, Pakistan were recently whitewashed by Bangladesh in a two-match Test series.
Pakistan cricket has also been a complete mess off the field. Babar Azam stepped down as skipper last November, and Shaheen Afridi was given the leadership of the T20I team, while Shan Masood was given the Test captaincy.
Pakistan lost the T20I series against New Zealand 4-1 under Afridi, and the left-arm seamer was removed from captaincy. Babar was back as Pakistan’s white-ball skipper in no time. And let’s not even get into the number of times the PCB officials change in a year.
"The session was about this, that we openly and candidly accept and identify [issues] and ask for a commitment from each other, demand it, on how we can improve our performances and how we work together as a team. Our unanimous view was that we need to resolve this going forward and need to identify how we do it,” PCB's chief operating officer Salman Naseer said at a press conference in Lahore, reported ESPNCricinfo.
"Where the talk is of unity, it wasn't only about the team. It was between the team and management and how we can work together to do things more successfully. These were definitely part of the discussions. We talked about planning, we talked about workload management.
“Everyone is feeling that the performances of players and management can be better. The idea was to sit together, identify issues and what can be better. What our vision is and how do we get there?"
Meanwhile, Pakistan’s red-ball coach Jason Gillespie added, "Because we're new to the job, our job is to listen and learn and look to implement ways where we can be more effective as players, as a team, and as coaches.
“What was really clear today was the pride the Pakistan players have in playing for Pakistan and how they want to inspire the country. That was really exciting to hear. The players care and are desperate to do well. We're on this journey together, and we'll do everything we can to help."
The Pakistan players are currently involved in the Champions Cup, and white-ball coach Gary Kirsten has been impressed with “the depth of quality of players”, unlike PCB’s chairman Mohsin Naqvi. “I've been here the last 12 days or so watching the Champions Cup and have been really encouraged at the depth of quality of players in this tournament," Kirsten said.
"It's been fantastic to see. I've really enjoyed the tournament. The quality of the competition has been high. Been great to see a lot of young players showcasing what they are capable of."
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