ISLAMABAD: Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) Chief Operating Officer Salman Naseer this week acknowledged that the board’s officials and cricketers discussed the lack of unity in the national team and PCB management during the recently held “Connection Camp,” vowing that fans will see positive results both in the short and long term.
The Connection Camp was a series of day-long discussions led by PCB Chairman Mohsin Naqvi featuring prominent cricketers including Babar Azam, Shan Masood, Shaheen Shah Afridi, Mohammad Rizwan as well as the national men’s coaching staff. The camp focused on reviving Pakistan cricket’s glorious past amid a string of humiliating losses.
Pakistan’s local media has extensively reported on an alleged rift between Azam and Afridi. The Pakistani batter was replaced with Afridi as skipper of the T20 squad last year but was reappointed once after Pakistan suffered a humiliating 4-1 loss to New Zealand. Afridi reportedly did not take his sacking well as cricket commentators claimed rifts between Azam and Afridi led to two opposing camps in the Pakistan team, leading to the national team’s lackluster performance in the T20 World Cup in June and the Bangladesh series at home this month.
When asked whether lack of unity among players was discussed during the camp, PCB’s chief operating officer said at a news conference:
“The session was about this (lack of unity) that we openly and candidly accept and identify (issues) and ask for a commitment from each other, demand it, on how we can improve our performances and how we work together as a team.
“Our unanimous view was that we need to resolve this going forward and need to identify how we do it.”
Media reports have also cited tensions between the PCB and some Pakistani cricketers after they were denied no-objection certificates to participate in overseas cricket leagues over the summer. Afridi, Azam, Mohammad Rizwan and Naseem Shah were all prevented from playing in leagues before the start of Pakistan’s home season, with workload management the primary reason cited by the board.
“Where the talk is of unity, it wasn’t only about the team,” Naseer said. “It was between the team and management and how we can work together to do things more successfully. These were part of the discussions. We talked about planning, we talked about workload management.”
Pakistan’s white-ball coach Gary Kirsten, who was also part of the camp, said he was encouraged by the quality of the players he had witnessed during the ongoing Champions Cup tournament and enjoyed the competitive tournament.
“Been great to see a lot of young players showcasing what they are capable of,” he said.
Meanwhile, Pakistan’s red-ball coach Jason Gillespie maintained that the discussions would continue, citing the players cared about their performances and were “desperate” to do well.
“Because we’re new to the job, our job is to listen and learn and look to implement ways where we can be more effective as players, as a team, and as coaches,” he said. “What was really clear today was the pride the Pakistan players have in playing for Pakistan and how they want to inspire the country. We’re on this journey together and we’ll do everything we can to help.”
Pakistan is set to host England for a three-match Test series next month from October 7 to 28 and play three Tests. The first and second matches will be played in Multan from October 7-19 while the third Test will be played in Rawalpindi from October 24-28.
