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Pakistan Cricket Faces Leadership Crisis, Says Azhar Ali
Confirmed
In Short: Former Pakistan captain Azhar Ali has criticized the High Performance Director Aaqib Javed for the team's recent struggles, calling for his resignation.
Former Pakistan captain Azhar Ali has slammed the High Performance Director Aaqib Javed for the team's current struggles, stating that the decisions made by Javed have consistently backfired. 'Every decision he makes backfires, and he then says: 'It's not me.' Look at yourself first,' Ali told. He also criticized the team's lack of fast bowlers and called for a clear roadmap to improve the team's performance.
Following a 194-run defeat to England in the second Test at Lord's, Pakistan have sent back seven players and also removed head coach Sarfaraz Ahmed and bowling coach Umar Gul. The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) then recalled seven players and Mike Hesson, already Pakistan's white-ball head coach, will take over the Test side for the rest of the tour.
Ali also identified the battle for the Pakistan captaincy as another issue that affected the team. 'Everyone in the team was trying to become the captain of the Pakistan team. The consequences are still hurting Pakistan cricket,' he said. 'There has been terrible cricket. The PCB has been supporting you throughout. So many coaches have come and gone, so many things have changed just to try and help the Pakistan team. But no player has stood up and taken responsibility,' he added.
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- The former right-hander said that Javed should step aside if he is unable to make a difference to the team’s fortunes.
- “We have to ask why the fast bowlers are not coming through.Look at Bangladesh. They were not content with just spin at home; they wanted to grow as a cricketing nation and produced a group of fast bowlers who have just won a Test match in Australia. You can’t just hope it happens, which is what the attitude feels like in Pakistan these days. We need a settled structure and one where people are hired and backed for three-to-four years. Right now the under-19s, for example, are leaderless. But that role is arguably more important than the head coach of the senior side,” Ali said.
- Ali also sympathised with Babar Azam, admitting that this was perhaps the worst time to be Pakistan’s captain, but added that he was not as mentally tough as the likes of Misbah-ul-Haq.
- He further felt that Pakistan’s mercurial nature had also disappeared in recent times and they needed a clear roadmap to get back to the top, with an emphasis on producing fast bowlers.
- ALSO READ | Pakistan captain Babar Azam develops fever amid Test team drama in England “Babar should have resigned here. Half of the team has been sent back home. If I were in his place, I would have given up the captaincy. You have become a dummy captain. There’s a difference between a leader and a captain,” said Latif on his YouTube channel.
- Former Pakistan captain Rashid Latif lambasted current Test skipper Babar Azam for failing to stand up as a leader amid the major mid-series squad reshuffle that has occurred within the team in England late last week.
- Pakistan’s woes have deepened in England with four successive failures with the bat across the two Tests.
- The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) then recalled seven players — Mohammad Rizwan, Imam-ul-Haq, Salman Ali Agha, Ali Usman, Aamer Jamal, Awais Zafar and Khurram Shahzad — besides coaches Ahmed and Gul.