"We shouldn't have messed around with the set-up" - Mudassar Nazar slams PCB for turmoil in Pakistan cricket
Former all-rounder Mudassar Nazar has lashed out at the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) over the ongoing turmoil in the team. He questioned the move to change captains frequently across formats.
Pakistan cricket hit a new low when they suffered a 2-0 Test series loss to Bangladesh at home. Meanwhile, amid constant rumors of infighting in the national team, Babar Azam has resigned as Pakistan's white-ball skipper. He had stepped down as all-format captain after the 2023 ODI World Cup but was reinstated as white-ball leader within a few months.
Speaking to news agency PTI, Mudassar questioned the PCB over the musical chairs concerning captaincy. He commented:
"It is our own doing (the alleged issue between Babar and Shaheen). We shouldn't have messed around with the set-up."
Before the shocking Test series loss to Bangladesh, Pakistan also failed to make an impact in the 2023 ODI World Cup and the 2024 T20 World Cup. Sharing his views on Pakistan cricket going through a very tough time, the 68-year-old opined:
"It goes in a cycle. In Pakistan, yes, we are down at the moment. A lot of that is our own fault, the way we run cricket in Pakistan. Nobody has addressed the issue seriously. We are changing the cricket board after every two, three, four months, a year. That hasn't helped either."
"But I'm hopeful one day Pakistan cricket will come up and surely it will because before you know it, you get three, four new players who come in and start to make a name for themselves. And there you go, the Pakistan team becomes one of the top teams again," the former cricketer went on to assert.
One of Pakistan's most prominent all-rounders, Mudassar represented the country in 76 Tests and 122 ODIs, scoring 4,114 and 2,653 runs, respectively. With the ball, he picked up 66 Test scalps and 111 one-day wickets with his medium pace.
What next for the Pakistan cricket team?
Having suffered a shocking 2-0 loss to Bangladesh at home, Pakistan are now preparing for a three-match home Test series against England. The series will begin with the first Test in Multan on Monday, October 7. The second Test will also be played at the same venue from October 15, while the series will conclude with the third Test in Rawalpindi beginning October 24.