Former Pakistan captain Rashid Latif has made a sensational claim, revealing that Babar Azam has not been getting replies from Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) chief Zaka Ashraf. The Green Army have lost four games in a row during ODI World Cup 2023 after their latest 1-wicket loss against South Africa on Friday.
Latif refused to put the blame solely on the players, launching an attack on the PCB as well, saying that the players haven’t received their salaries, leading to unsuitable circumstances for the Pakistan side to deliver their best performances.
Pakistan started their World Cup campaign on a high, picking up back-to-back wins over the Netherlands and Sri Lanka, but since their 7-wicket loss to India, everything has gone wrong for Babar Azam and Co. Not only have they lost four matches in a row, but the team’s fielding and batting performances have been anything but inspirational.
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The once-fearsome bowling attack also looks like a shadow of its former self, as Rashif refused to make Babar the scapegoat.
Speaking to the state-owned PTV sports channel, Latif claimed that PCB chief Zaka Ashraf has stopped talking to Babar, meaning the 28-year-old’s captaincy faces a huge threat.
“I know for a fact that Babar has got no response from the Chairman (Zaka Ashraf) when he called and messaged from India,” claimed Latif.
Ahead of the World Cup, multiple reports claimed that the Pakistan players have not received their salaries for the past four to five months.
“The players have not got salaries..the Chairman is not responding to the captain and in these circumstances what do we expect from the team,” the veteran added.
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Pakistan’s narrow defeat against South Africa left the side in sixth place with just four points from six matches. Their fate is no longer in their own hands, and even if Babar and Co. win all of their remaining games, they can only reach a maximum of 10 points, which might not be enough for the team to go through to the semifinals.
They will be hoping that the likes of Australia and New Zealand drop points in their remaining games, and lose by a big margin so that Net Run Rate can come into play, while Pakistan will have to win all of their remaining games by big margins.
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