Former Pakistan captain Rashid Latif refused to mince his words while critcising the team after their earlier than expected elimination from the T20 World Cup. Pakistan failed to get out of the group for the first time in history of the tournament, finishing 3rd after losing to India and T20 World Cup debutants USA in Group A. Captain Babar Azam and the players have been on the receiving end of some harsh criticism from former Pakistan players, but Latif refused to entirely put the blame on the team.
Latif suggested while there is a lack of unity, following reports of groupism in the team, he thinks the issue lies within the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB).
“If your turn the clock, go back in time, we played two World Cups, the one in Dubai (2021) and the one in Australia (2022), the team was almost the same, there have been 3, or maybe 4 changes this time around. The attitude seems to have changed this time around. Back in time, the Pakistan players were united. I have always said that there are plenty of players who want to play, but the ones who are supposed to make the players play properly are missing and there is a glaring scarcity,” Latif said on his YouTube channel.
Latif highlighted that the dressing room dynamics have been affected due to constant change in power within the PCB, adding that the players need a stable environment.
“The manner in which the dressing room feels and behaves, that is always the deciding factor. When there is a change in the higher authority/management, the coaching staff changes as well. It shouldn’t be like that, the dressing room should remain stable. All the cricket boards, especially the Test playing nations have prepared well for the T20 World Cup, except Pakistan. Education plays an important part that who is your chairman, who is he talking to,’ he added.
Apart from this, Pakistan coach Gary Kirsten‘s remark on lack of unity in the team also went viral.
Pakistan journalist Ihtisham Ul Haq quoted Gary Kirsten as saying: “There’s no unity in Pakistan’s team, They call it a team, but it isn’t a team. They aren’t supporting each other; everyone is separated, left and right. I’ve worked with many teams, but I’ve never seen such a situation”.
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