Karachi: Livid with the criticism that Pakistan’s cricket team has faced after its heavy Test losses to England, PCB Chairman Mohsin Naqvi said the side is being lambasted by those “who have never achieved anything in their lives”.
Speaking to the media in London, Naqvi cited other teams’ losses to weaker opponents, including India’s recent T20 defeats at the hands of Ireland, to assert that a few setbacks do not define an outfit.
Naqvi and the Pakistan Cricket Board came under fire after they decided to replace seven players in the touring squad in England and with mostly young names. Pakistan are trailing 0-2 in the three-match series.
Clearly irritated by the criticism from all quarters, Naqvi, who is also Pakistan’s Interior Minister, said it was unfair to claim that the country’s cricket is at its worst right now.
“You used to be ranked eighth in ODIs, which has now gone up to fifth. You have had six ODI series, out of which you have won four, but still, our cricket is finished?” he said.
“Our success rate has gone up from 24 per cent to 73 per cent, and I’m not talking about just one or the other specific match, but still, our cricket is finished?”
He said critics and fans should stop demoralising the players. The Pakistani team has drawn criticism from former stars such as Shahid Afridi, Mohammed Yousuf and Rashid Latif among others.
“Those players who have never achieved anything in their lives, when they talk along these lines, that’s unreasonable,” he said, adding that he sought opinions from ex-players constantly.
“Sometimes there are mistakes made in selection as well. I am answerable for that, and we need to work on it,” he said, adding that sometimes it was necessary to remove players if they do not perform.
He also asserted that it was not possible to take a team from number nine to number one in a matter of three or six months, and that there was “a long way to go”.
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