NEW DELHI: The
Pakistan Cricket Board
(
PCB
) is expected to undergo significant changes and introduce a code of conduct for players following the team's dismal performance in the
T20 World Cup
held in the USA.
The team's early exit from the tournament has drawn criticism from various quarters, with players facing backlash for bringing their families along and engaging in paid promotional events during the competition.
According to a reliable PCB source, chairman
Mohsin Naqvi
is furious with the performance of certain senior officials and holds them accountable for the lack of discipline within the team.
The PCB is likely to take stringent measures to address these issues and ensure that players prioritise their on-field performance and maintain a professional approach throughout future tournaments.
"You can expect the PCB to lose senior management level officials and also enforce some strict policies for the players in future," PTI quoted the source as saying.
The PCB is set to announce a new policy regarding players' families accompanying them to ICC and other major events. This decision is part of the board's ongoing efforts to streamline its operations and maintain a professional environment.
"The fact that so many players not only took their wives and children to the World Cup even had their parents, brothers etc staying in the team hotel has left the chairman unhappy," the source said.
It was discovered that certain high-ranking officials within the board had authorised the decision to allow players to bring their entire families along on the tour.
"Some of these officials are not professionals but fans of the players and have given them a lot of concessions which eventually led to the World Cup debacle," the source said.
The chairman of the PCB has requested a performance evaluation from all senior management personnel, expressing dissatisfaction with the progress made in preparation for the ICC
Champions Trophy
, which is set to take place in
Pakistan
early next year.
Reports emerge of paid appearances by players
According to a news article published in the 'Jang' newspaper, certain Pakistani cricketers accepted appearance fees as low as USD 2500 per individual for attending a meet-and-greet event in Dallas.
The report also mentioned that another event, titled 'A night with stars', was cancelled due to discrepancies in the payments made to the team captain,
Babar Azam
, and other players.
These revelations are expected to be scrutinized during the postmortem analysis of the team's early exit from the tournament, following defeats against newcomers USA and long-time rivals India.
Despite the Pakistan Cricket Board having four different chairmen since December 2022, no changes or terminations have been made to the senior management level officials.
"It is now becoming clear that if the players are today an indisciplined and careless lot, the blame for this falls on some of the senior management officials who have been patronising them in many ways including in the finalisation of the central contracts last year," the source added.
Rumors of internal strife within the team have intensified the ongoing turmoil, with reports suggesting a rift between Babar and the team's leading fast bowler,
Shaheen Afridi
, over the captaincy role.
The alleged discord between the two key players has further fueled the speculation surrounding the team's dynamics, adding an extra layer of complexity to the current situation.
English (US) ·