PCB wants the team to fail: Senior Pakistan player

A senior player of the Pakistan team, speaking anonymously to Cricbuzz, has expressed a belief that the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) is intentionally orchestrating the failure of the team in the ongoing ICC Cricket World Cup 2023. According to the player, the board’s motivation behind this alleged desire for failure is to implement changes in team leadership and composition, thereby gaining control over crucial decisions.

“The board wants the team to fail, they don’t want us to win the World Cup just so that they can make the changes and take control of who leads the team and who gets into the team,” a senior player told Cricbuzz.

“Whatever fights or arguments or disagreements we have within the team is quite common. We are all old and mature enough to deal with it by ourselves. We don’t need external interference,” the senior player added.

While recognizing the significance of the tournament and the team’s collective responsibility to perform well, the player lamented the negative impact of leaked discussions from the dressing room, fueled by individuals with personal interests within the board. The player admitted that external criticisms, particularly on social media and from former cricketers, have affected the team’s morale.

The challenging environment, including extended hotel stays, negative crowd reactions, and fan and ex-cricketer criticisms, was highlighted by the player. Despite the team’s dedication to training and their aspirations to win the World Cup, the player expressed frustration with the lack of support from the PCB, accusing the board of exacerbating the team’s troubles rather than providing assistance.

The senior player criticized a recent press release by the PCB, deeming it unnecessary and accused the board of engaging in political maneuvering instead of focusing on the team’s performance in the World Cup.

“That letter (press release) by PCB was unnecessary. If the captain and the selector won’t pick the team, then who else will? We’ve come here to play the World Cup, and they are busy playing politics. Who do we fight first – our opponents or our board? They’ve been doing this for a long time, all for self-serving and selfish reasons. After trying to cause this discord, I want to see how our chairmansaab looks us in the eye when we meet him after returning to Pakistan, that is if he manages to hold on to his position till then,” senior player concluded.