Babar Azam to ‘report’ against certain players to PCB following Pakistan’s T20 World Cup exit

The PCB chief had earlier threatened that a 'surgery' would happen to the Pakistan cricket team if they didn't do well in the T20 World Cup.

All is not well in Pakistan Cricket. Following their ouster from the T20 World Cup, all hell has broken loose. We’ve seen Haris Rauf get attacked by fans, calls to remove Babar Azam as skipper, accusations of players getting involved in match-fixing, Gary Kirsten’s dressing room speech get leaked, and now one more thing has been added to that list.

Many, including the great Wasim Akram, had alleged that there was a rift in the dressing room. The Pakistani management denied it, but with each passing day, it’s becoming clearer that key players don’t see eye to eye. Shadab Khan had basically expressed that Shaheen Afridi should have been sacked as captain, and Iftikhar Ahmed threw Imad Wasim under the bus. That infamous ‘no unity’ statement by head coach Kirsten proved to be neither true nor false, but the writing was on the wall.

Major surgery coming?

Now, according to a Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) source, Babar Azam is dissatisfied with some players. The current white-ball skipper isn’t happy with their productivity and will complain against them in a report to the PCB. Following this, Mohsin Naqvi, the PCB Chief, will address the issue that led to the Pakistan cricket team’s exit from the T20 World Cup.

“Naqvi is known for his straightforward approach and will likely address what went wrong with the Pakistan team. Babar has reportedly expressed concerns about the productivity of certain players during and before the World Cup, and he is expected to include these complaints in his report to the PCB,” a PCB source told PTI.

Cricket 1 day No Babar Azam, Shaheen Afridi or Mohammad Rizwan in Pakistan vs Bangladesh Tests: Reports

After Pakistan lost to India, Naqvi suggested that a ‘major surgery’ needs to happen to the team. It was previously unclear regarding his intentions, but following this, we can expect some big names to be dropped, and we might even see them change in captaincy once again.

Babar Azam, Shaheen Afridi, and Mohammad Rizwan have all been ‘rested’ for the upcoming 2-match Pakistan vs Bangladesh Test series. Whether they have been reprimanded for Men in Green’s poor performance in the T20 World Cup is unsure, but we can’t really rule it past the PCB.