Zaka Ashraf, the head of the PCB, blames the former committee for the players’ exhaustion and poor performance at the 2023 Asia Cup.

The ICC ODI team rankings have Pakistan under the direction of Babar Azam at the top. Before the 2023 Asia Cup, they were one of the favourites. However, their journey came to an unfortunate end when they lost back-to-back games against India and Pakistan, the co-hosts, in the Super Four stage, finishing last.

Zaka Ashraf, the head of the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB), called a meeting on September 21 to discuss the ‘Men in Green’s’ lacklustre showing in the esteemed competition.

Babar Azam, the vice-captain of Pakistan, and Shadab Khan, the team captain, joined Mickey Arthur’s coaching staff during the meeting. To provide insight into the team’s performance, head coach Grant Bradburn, batting coach Andrew Puttick, and bowling coach Morne Morkel were also invited to the meeting. Misbah-ul-Haq and Mohammad Hafeez, two former Pakistani captains, were also there.

Following the meeting, the PCB issued a statement in which Zaka Ashraf accused the previous board administration of allowing Pakistani players to compete in franchise leagues, which led to their exhaustion before to their national obligations.

“This evaluation was conducted with the intention of fostering open discourse and reaching a consensus. Everyone should participate in a discussion about performances, highlighting any issues and suggesting solutions. To be clear about what and where we need to spend for the benefit of our team, we must discuss our strengths and limitations, Ashraf said in the statement.

“Discussion revealed that the previous management had allowed many players to play league cricket, which caused them to become fatigued before their national duty,” the article continued. The 71-year-old continued, “However, coming future, we have decided to create a proactive approach to address players’ workload and give national duty a priority.

Pakistan’s World Cup roster will be unveiled tomorrow.

One of the few nations still to reveal their lineup for the 2017 ODI World Cup in India is Pakistan. Inzamam-ul-Haq, the head selector, met with Ashraf on Thursday afternoon, and the former captain of Pakistan identified the 15 players who will compete for a second 50-over World Cup victory.

On Friday, September 22, a news conference from the Gaddafi Stadium’s Far-End building is most likely to reveal the team.