Asia Cup 2023: PCB chief Zaka Ashraf blames previous committee for players' fatigue and dismal performance

Babar Azam-led Pakistan are placed at No. 1 in the ICC ODI team rankings. They were one of the favourites heading into the Asia Cup 2023. However, their campaign ended dismally as they lost consecutive matches against arch-rivals India and co-hosts Pakistan in the Super Four stage and finished at the bottom spot.

Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) chief Zaka Ashraf held a meeting on Thursday, September 21, to assess the indifferent performance of the 'Men in Green' in the prestigious tournament. Pakistan captain, Babar Azam, and vice-captain, Shadab Khan, attended the meeting alongside members of the coaching staff under Mickey Arthur. Head coach Grant Bradburn, batting coach Andrew Puttick, and bowling coach Morne Morkel were also invited to the meeting to shed light on the team's performance. Former Pakistan captains Misbah-ul-Haq and Mohammad Hafeez were also present.

After the meeting, the PCB released a statement where Ashraf blamed the previous board management for allowing Pakistan players to play in franchise leagues and causing them to get fatigued ahead of their national commitments.

“The philosophy behind this review was to create an atmosphere of open discussion and develop consensus. The idea is to have everyone on board and debate about performances, identifying the problems and their solutions. We have to debate strengths and weaknesses so that we are clear about what and where we need to invest for the betterment of our team," Ashraf said in the statement.

“Discussion revealed that the previous management had allowed a lot of players to play league cricket which caused them to fatigued ahead of their national duty. But going forward we have agreed to form a proactive approach to tackle players' workload and give national duty a priority," the 71-year-old added.

Pakistan World Cup squad to be announced tomorrow

Pakistan are one of the few teams who are yet to announce their squad for the upcoming ODI World Cup in India. In the statement, it was mentioned that chief selector Inzamam-ul-Haq met Ashraf on Thursday afternoon, and the former Pakistan captain zeroed in on the 15 players who will embark on the quest of winning a second 50-over World Cup title.

The team is likely to be announced via a press conference on Friday, September 22, from the Far-End building of the Gaddafi Stadium,.