PCB chief Zaka Ashraf meets former Pakistan cricketers to discuss Pakistan’s poor performance in CWC 2023

Zaka Ashraf worried about Pakistan team’s poor performance in World Cup.

PCB chief Zaka Ashraf called for former Pakistan players to have a discussion on Pakistan team’s poor performance in the ongoing ICC Cricket World Cup 2023. Pakistan have won just two matches and lost three in a row out of the five they have played thus far.

Pakistan started well by defeating Sri Lanka and Netherlands in Hyderabad, but since then, they have played their next three matches at three different venues and lost all of them. They lost to India in Ahmedabad, Australia in Bengaluru, and most recently, to Afghanistan in Chennai.

The loss to Afghanistan hurt Pakistan team more, as it was a blow to their egos. Pakistan had scored 282 runs, batting first. Their spinners and pacers failed on Chennai track as Afghanistan made a mockery of the chase to win by eight wickets. All three top Afghan batters scored fifties.

PCB chief calls Zaka Ashraf for Mohammad Yousuf, Aaqib Javed and Inzamam Ul Haq to discuss the future of Pakistan team

On Tuesday, Ashraf met with Pakistan chief selector Inzamam ul Haq and former players Muhammad Yousuf and Aaqib Javed in Lahore. He also plans to meet stalwarts like Wasim Akram, Waqar Younis, Saqlain Mushtaq, and Umar Gul to get their advice on how to move forward.

According to a PCB press release, PCB chief is also looking forward to meeting with other former players to seek their feedback on the growth of current Pakistan squad members.

“These players have served Pakistan at the highest level and have a treasure trove of experience under their belts. We hope to utilise their expertise to help ensure our players are well developed in all aspects of the game. In this way, we hope we can produce players in all departments of the game that can serve Pakistan in the future,” Ashraf said.

When the national team fails to play well in a top-level event, PCB frequently takes damage control measures to satisfy irritated cricket fans. Former board members have also participated in similar exercises in the past to demonstrate that they are working to enhance Pakistan cricket.

Ashraf also said National Cricket Academy plans to organise a specialised camp with top-talent from the domestic circuit.

“The primary goal of this camp is to nurture these players and make them ready for the international stage, in an attempt to bridge the gap between domestic and international cricket,” he added.

Pakistan will next play South Africa in Chennai on October 27.