Javed Miandad apologises to Imran Khan days after accusing him of disrupting Pakistan's domestic cricket system
Former Pakistan skipper Javed Miandad has apologised to Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan for recently making controversial remarks about his leadership.
The 63-year-old had slammed Khan for damaging the country's cricket system by appointing the wrong people and changing the domestic cricket administration.
Javed Miandad had also accused Khan of playing dirty politics and questioned his leadership as Pakistan PM.
He has now apologised for his remarks, stating that he only made the comments because he was angry at Pakistan's performance in the first Test against England. The apology comes just days after his nephew Faisal Iqbal was appointed as one of the domestic coaches.
Speaking to ARY News, Javed Miandad said:
"If I have offended anyone, I apologize for my words, especially to the Prime Minister because I was angry about Pakistan's performance in the first Test against England. I have full respect for the Prime Minister and Pakistan cricket fans all over the world."
Javed Miandad had accused Imran Khan of making wrong appointments in Pakistan Cricket
Pakistan had set England a target of 277 to win in the first Test at Old Trafford and had them on the ropes at 117-5. However, Jos Buttler and Chris Woakes strung together an unreal partnership of 139 runs for the sixth wicket. Woakes remained unbeaten in the end on 84 as England ended up chasing the target with 3 wickets in hand.
Javed Miandad was very unhappy with the way Pakistan performed in that Test and opined that there were problems at the fundamental level in Pakistan cricket. He then went on to accuse Prime Minister Imran Khan of disrupting the domestic cricket system in Pakistan.
Speaking on his YouTube channel, Javed Miandad said:
"All officials in the PCB do not know the ABC of the sport. I will talk to Imran Khan personally about the sad state of affairs. I will not leave anyone that is not right for our country. You appointed a foreigner on a key position. What will happen when he flees the country after doing corruption? Is there a shortage of people in your own country that you had to bring people from abroad to work in the PCB."
He added:
"I was your captain, you weren't my captain. I'll come to politics and then I'll talk to you. I was the one who led you all the time, but you act like god now. It is almost like you're the only intelligent person in this country. As if no one else has gone to Oxford or Cambridge or any other university in Pakistan. Think about the people. You don't care about the country. You came to my home and went out as a Prime Minister. I challenge you to deny this."
It will be interesting to see how the Pakistan Prime Minister responds in the coming days now that Javed Miandad has changed his statement.