Leaked WhatsApp chats, poor outing and more off-field problems hampering Pakistan form in ICC Cricket World Cup 2023- Reports

Pakistan have lost 4 matches out of 6 played in ICC Cricket World Cup 2023.

Pakistan’s journey in the ongoing ICC Cricket World Cup 2023 have not been a happy one. They had a good start to the tournament, defeating Sri Lanka and Netherlands in Hyderabad in their first two games.

But then they moved out of Hyderabad and have been losing games in a row. They first suffered defeat at the hands of India in Ahmedabad, then Australia crushed them in Bengaluru, and then Afghanistan stunned them in Chennai.

Their fourth straight loss came against South Africa, in a match that they should’ve won. With 4 losses in 6 matches, Pakistan are virtually out of the race for the semi-finals, especially with their poor net run rate.

However, more than on-field performances, Pakistan cricket have been plagued with issues off the field. Right from the squad selection issues with the tussle between Babar Azam and PCB to the drama that is going on with chief selector Inzamam Ul Haq, leading him to resigning from the post.

WhatsApp chat of Pakistan skipper Babar Azam leaked

Former Pakistan legend Inzamam-ul-Haq quit as chairman of the national selection committee on Wednesday after criticism of Babar Azam-led side's poor performance thus far in the World Cup in India. The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) are investigating whether his involvement with a company that manages a number of national team players constitutes a conflict of interest.

Inzamam is a client of Yazoo International, and he shares the same agent, Talha Rehmani, alongside Azam, bowler Shaheen Shah Afridi, and wicketkeeper-batter Mohammad Rizwan. In truth, Rizwan is a partner in the company founded in December 2020. Inzamam has stated that his friendship with Rehmani has had no bearing on his decision-making as a selector.

Azam has received a lot of flak for the team's performance and his captaincy. There is widespread speculation that he will be fired following the event. To make matters worse, his claimed personal WhatsApp talks have been made public.

The alleged conversation between Azam and PCB Chief Operating Officer Salman Naseer aired on Pakistani television channel ARY Television during a discussion show.

Former Pakistan captain Rashid Latif had claimed earlier that Ashraf was not responding to Azam's calls and that there was a tiff going on between them. It was in this context that Naseer reportedly let out the WhatsApp chat to prove Latif wrong.

Latif has also claimed that the players have not been paid their salaries for the past five months and that they have been told that their central contracts are being reconsidered.