Former Pakistan cricket team star pace bowler Wasim Akram has openly criticized the Pakistan team management and the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB). After Pakistan’s defeat against India, Akram has pointed out a problem with the team’s support staff. Akram mentioned that Pakistan’s team director, Mickey Arthur, was in Derbyshire and tweeting about county cricket instead of being in Sri Lanka for an important tournament such as the Asia Cup.
Out of the blue, Pakistan is facing a tough time in the ongoing Asia Cup 2023, feeling immense pressure of making it to the Final of the tournament. In the earlier stages of the tournament, they were in total control, but a huge defeat to India during the Super Four stage has pushed them to the brink.
Pakistan endured a staggering 228-run loss against India, which not only resulted in a defeat but also severely affected their Net Run Rate (NRR). They had a hard time with both their batting and bowling against their arch-rivals and also had to deal with the loss of two key players due to injuries.
After these events, there’s been a lot of questioning about Pakistan team management, especially Mickey Arthur, who serves as the team’s director. Despite being the former head coach of the team, he hasn’t joined the team in their camp for the tournament and is currently working as the head coach for the English County Cricket Club Derbyshire in England.
Wasim Akram, on the other hand, expressed his disapproval during a discussion on Star Sports, stating that he believed Mickey Arthur should have been with the team during the Asia Cup 2023.
“Our team director is in Derbyshire and tweeting about County matches rather than being here with the Pakistan team in the Asia Cup 2023,” said the veteran former Pakistan pacer.
The Pakistan team is in a make-or-break situation in the Asia Cup 2023. If they lose to Sri Lanka, they will be knocked out of the tournament. A victory, on the other hand, would secure their spot in the final, where they would face India. Meanwhile, even a rain washout would show Pakistan their way back to home while Sri Lanka would advance to the final.
Following their loss to India, Pakistan made significant changes to their lineup for the crucial match against Sri Lanka. Fakhar Zaman, Agha Salman, and Faheem Ashraf have been dropped while Zaman Khan and Mohammad Wasim Jr. have been brought in to replace the injured Haris Rauf and Naseem Shah. As of writing this article, Pakistan, batting first, have scored 130 runs for the loss of 5 wickets in 28 overs, putting them in huge troubles.
