Pakistan ex-stars, media slam T20 World Cup exit

AFP | Karachi, Pakistan

The Daily Tribune – www.newsofbahrain.com

Pakistan’s ex-stars and media blamed team discord and biased selection for the Asian cricket powerhouse’s humiliating first-round exit from the Twenty20 World Cup.

The 2009 champions were knocked out after the USA-Ireland match was abandoned because of rain -- the earliest-ever elimination from a T20 World Cup for Pakistan.

They suffered a shock defeat to first-timers USA before losing to arch-rivals India. Pakistan’s only win was against Canada.

“Pakistani players think that if they don’t perform well, the coaches will be sacked, and nothing will happen to them,” former captain Wasim Akram said during a broadcast after the defeat to India.

“It is time to keep the coaches and change the entire team.” Throughout the tournament, the team was dogged by allegations of internal discord and that some players were in the squad because of favouritism and not merit. Fans and analysts also criticised the team’s management for not picking the right players for the World Cup.

Former player Kamran Akmal said Shadab Khan was chosen to play because he is close to captain Babar Azam, and that meant leaving out leg-spinner Usama Mir, the top wicket-taker in this year’s Pakistan Super League.

“When you select players based on friendship, you’ll get these results,” Akmal told AFP. “Mir should have been in the squad... That was a big injustice.” Reports of discord over the swap also marred Pakistan’s warm-up for t h e World Cup.

They lost to Ireland, lost 2-0 to England and drew 2-2 against a depleted New Zealand. “Some poor administrative and selection decisions in the run-up to World Cup resulted in the team’s inability to progress,” said the English-language newspaper The News.