Another controversy has rocked Pakistan cricket, as the statement made by the some of the players who were part of the ill-fated tour of Australia, are leaked to the media. The bombshell was dropped yesterday a day after the team’s loss to England in their opening match of the super eights round of the championship.
The coach of the team minced no words in front of the probe committee that included members of the Board, and representatives of the governing body.
The former Pakistan captain Intikhab Alam who was at the helm of the coaching unit, described the players “mentally retarded”. The former all-rounder who claimed a wicket with his first delivery of test cricket said, “I felt that they are mentally retarded people, they do not know that they are representing the country”.
The probe committee set up by the Pakistan Cricket Broad included Wasim Bari the Chief Operating Officer, Taffazul Rizvi, Wazir Ali Khoja, Yawar Saeed, Zakir Khan and Haroon Rashid, all the members of the committee are associated to the Board in one capacity or the other.
Many, who claimed that the committee would be biased towards the administrators and managers since it included Board members, also challenged the actual formation of the committee.
Intikhab who was replaced by Waqar Younis as head coach of the national team, did not only think that the players were mentally retarded, adding that “There is a mental problem with our players. They don’t know how to wear their clothes and how to talk in a civilized manner”, the disgruntled coach went a step ahead slamming the players personal habits claiming that they were not “toilet trained”.
While the statements are set to send the readers rolling into laughter, one thing is for sure that the mudslinging by Intikhab will further dampen the spirits of the beleaguered squad that is currently fighting limply to retain the ICC T-20 trophy it won last year in England.
Intikhab also claimed that the integrity of Shoaib Malik and Rana Naveed Ul Hasan was highly doubtful, claiming that Rana Naveed was 80% doubtful in his integrity and commitment to the team.
Besides Intikhab the statements made by other players have also reached this scribe, the statements by Shoaib Malik reveals that six or seven players had sworn on the Holy Quran that they will play for the team and not create disunity amongst the squad.
The swearing in took place during the ICC Champions trophy in South Africa last year, where the team went out in the semi-final against New Zealand.
Shoaib Malik who was subsequently banned for one year on the recommendations of the probe committee, was clearly the bad boy according to Intikhab Alam, captain Mohammad Yousuf and team manager Yawar Saeed.
In his statement Mohammad Yousuf claimed that he wanted to unite the team during the tour, Yousuf who was the captain during the twin tour of Australia and New Zealand was widely condemned for his negative captaincy, yet he defended himself saying that he gave his best for the team.
Yousuf advised the committee to exclude Shoaib Malik and Umar Akmal on disciplinary grounds, while he thought Fawad Alam, Umar Gul and Kamran Akmal should be dropped due to their poor performances on the tour.
The statement made by Captain Shahid Afridi on his ball biting episode in Perth goes like “I took the drastic step, since I was desperate for a win”, Afridi added that the players had become complacent after their win in the T-20 World championship last year, and lacked commitment for the country.
Kamran Akmal and Umer Akmal defended themselves against the allegation levied by different players and team management, claiming that they did every thing in the realm of possibility to win matches for the team, yet luck deserted them in the test and one-day series.
After the investigations carried out by the probe committee, the PCB handed over bans and fines to Shoaib Malik, Mohammad Yousuf, Younis Khan, Rana Naveed, Shahid Afridi, Umer Akmal and Kamran Akmal.
Now the sensational revelations that have come out in the press, due to the leakage is set to further compound the miseries of PCB, and the cricket team. The following few days are going to be crucial for the administration, as it bids to stave off the criticism that is sure to come their way.
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