Karachi: The trouble-prone Pakistan
cricket team dressing room was once again witness to some drama and it
took PCB chairman Shaharyar Khan’s intervention to diffuse the
controversy generated by Misbah-ul Haq’s decision to rest from the third
ODI against Australia.
Misbah-ul-Haq
Khan had to talk to the
media in Abu Dhabi during the third ODI to defuse the impression that
Misbah had been coerced or pressurised into not playing the third ODI by
the team management, which is totally behind Shahid Afridi who led the
side in the match on Sunday.
Although
Misbah took pains to make politically correct appearances during the
match to give the impression that everything was alright in the dressing
room but former players still didn’t spare the PCB for its sudden
decision to hand over the captaincy to Afridi.
Shaharyar said that Misbah was not forced to sit out.
“Neither
me nor management have influenced Misbah to sit out, he has done it on
his own, he is determined to return. I had an half hour chat with him.
He says if ‘I am back to form I would like to lead to the World Cup’,”
Khan told the media.
After
Pakistan lost the match, former fast bowler Shoaib Akhtar waded into
head coach Waqar Younis and even manager/chief selector Moin Khan and
the PCB for even accepting Misbah’s wish to take a break.
“What
is happening? What sort of message is being conveyed to the cricket
world? Four months before the World Cup, we don’t know who is going to
be our ODI captain. The PCB and management is only adding to the
confusion with their strange statements,” Akhtar said.
Former
Test captain, Ramiz Raja said if Misbah wanted to rest, a younger
player should have been given charge of the team instead of Afridi.
