The Pakistan Cricket Board on Thursday held a review meeting of their dismal Asia Cup showing in the wake of the announcement of their World Cup squad. All teams must finalize their 15-player squads for the cricket showpiece before the September 28 deadline, with any replacements after this date requiring ICC approval. “The philosophy behind this review was to create an atmosphere of open discussion and develop consensus,” PCB management committee chairman Zaka Ashraf said in a statement. “The idea is to get everyone on board and debate performance, identifying the problems and their solutions.” The review meeting was also attended by head coach Mickey Arthur, captain Babar Azam, vice-captain Shadab Khan and former skippers Misbah-ul-Haq and Mohammad Hafeez.
Chief selector and former captain Inzamam-ul-Haq could not attend the meeting due to a ‘medical emergency’ but shared his inputs with the PCB chief on Thursday.
The other members of the men’s national coaching staff, including head coach Grant Bradburn, batting coach Andrew Puttick and bowling coach Morne Morkel “were also invited to report on the team’s recent performances”.
“We need to discuss the strengths and weaknesses so that we are clear on what and where we need to invest for the betterment of our team,” he added.
Pakistan failed to reach the final of the Asia Cup after losing to India and Sri Lanka in the ‘Super Four’. They only achieved victories against Nepal and Bangladesh.
Pakistan, who have won the Asia Cup just twice in 2000 and 2012, suffered their heaviest defeat against arch-rivals India by 228 runs in the ODI format ahead of their mega match at the World Cup in Ahmedabad on October 14.
Dr. Sohail Saleem briefed about the players’ injuries and “the way forward for players’ rehabilitation programmes”, the PCB said.
Pakistan pacers Naseem Shah and Haris Rauf both suffered injuries during their rain-marred match against India in Colombo, with the former doubtful whether he would play in the World Cup.
“In a robust analysis, every aspect of recent team performance, player fitness and future plans was discussed with the aim of making improvements,” the release said.
“There was agreement on a better approach and strategy for player workload. The importance of strengthening the bank was also emphasized,” it added. PTI DDV-TAP
Topics mentioned in this article