Pakistan cricket team in action© AFP
The Pakistan cricket team slumped to a shocking Test series loss against Bangladesh and their performance has resulted in a lot of criticism from both fans as well as experts. Pakistan were completely outplayed by Bangladesh in both the matches and the bowlers were criticised massively for their performances. The losses put Pakistan almost out of contention for the World Test Championship (WTC) final and former Pakistan cricket team fast bowler Yasir Arafat launched a scathing rant against the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) and its officials. Arafat pointed out that Pakistan need to prepare for red-ball matches but the PCB have decided to organise the Champions Cup tournament which will feature one-day matches. He added that preparation is pivotal ahead of the crucial Test series against England.
“This series is ending. Your grey areas have been highlighted. Fitness issues, technique issues, and pitches. Today I heard Jason Gillespie and the high-performance coach are going back to Australia. You are conducting an ODI tournament. These decisions I don’t understand. The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) is a circus,” Arafat said on YouTube.
“There are jokers in that, and this is a joke. You have a Test series against England coming up, and you are bringing players for ODIs. Shan Masood is saying in a press conference that our players have not played first-class cricket for 1.5 years. You have a big series against England coming up, and you are playing ODIs. This looks like a circus to me. The people who are working are jokers, and their decisions are jokes,” he added.
The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) is planning to consider alternatives such as Sri Lanka or the United Arab Emirates (UAE) for hosting Pakistan’s Test series against England, according to Geo News.
In Jason Gillespie’s first assignment as Test head coach of Pakistan, the Shan Masood-led team hit rock bottom after enduring a whitewash against Bangladesh on their home soil.
During the two-match Test series, PCB had to shift the second Test to Rawalpindi, which was originally scheduled to be held in Karachi. Due to the ongoing construction work in Karachi National Stadium for next year’s Champions Trophy, it was not viable to host the second Test in Karachi.
As Karachi National Stadium, Lahore’s Gaddafi Stadium, and the Rawalpindi Cricket Stadium continue to go under renovation work for the marquee event; it could be possible that Masood and his side would have to play in Sri Lanka or the UAE.
(With ANI inputs)
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