Pakistan's ongoing decline in world cricket and their first-ever Test series defeat against Bangladesh have prompted severe criticism from both former players and fans, targeting both the players and the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB). Former wicketkeeper Rashid Latif has particularly scrutinised the roles of individuals who have held the position of PCB chairman in recent years.
"Jitne bhi chairman aaye hain, woh tabah kar rahe hain last four years se (whoever has been chairman in the last four years has destroyed Pakistan cricket)," Latif remarked on his show 'Caught Behind'.
Bangladesh's six-wicket win in the second Test at Rawalpindi, following their 10-wicket victory in the first match at the same venue, secured them a historic first-ever Test series win over Pakistan. The manner in which Bangladesh dominated a team they had never previously beaten in red-ball cricket has led to considerable disappointment among Pakistani experts and fans.
"Who brought him (Shan Masood) in as (Test) captain? Who removed Babar Azam (from captaincy)? Who divided the Pakistan team?" Latif questioned.
These changes occurred during Zaka Ashraf’s tenure as PCB chairman.
"So what is he doing now? Giving interviews?" Latif continued to scrutinise Ashraf.
There are growing concerns about the team's unity, particularly after the captaincy debacle that saw Babar Azam removed after the ODI World Cup, Shaheen Shah Afridi’s captaincy lasting only one series, and Masood's promotion to Test captaincy.
Babar returned as captain for the T20 World Cup, but the team performed poorly and exited the tournament at the group stage.
"There were no differences between Babar Azam and Shaheen even after I appointed the latter as T20 captain," Ashraf said in a recent interview with a local Pakistani channel. "No, the unity didn’t end (after removing Babar as captain). In fact, it improved. When we asked him to play as a player, which is his talent, but as a captain his performance wasn’t good, he agreed."
Despite the team's underperformance under various captains, Ashraf refused to acknowledge that changing captains was a mistake.
"He (Masood) was a very good captain. He is still a very good player. He is still a captain in England’s counties. And, I made Shaheen Shah the captain of the T20I team. That was also a very good decision," Ashraf added.
Latif questioned the roles of both Ashraf and former captain, coach, and chief selector Misbah-ul-Haq, who returned to the PCB as an advisor to Ashraf and headed a cricket committee. "Team banana kis ka kaam hai. Zaka Ashraf ka ya Misbah ka? (Whose responsibility is it to build the team – Ashraf’s or Misbah’s?)" Latif asked.
"When he (Ashraf) was making all the decisions, appointing captains, who is he blaming now – Babar? You forced Babar to resign. The team began to fall apart from that point. It was you who appointed Shan as captain for your own benefit, to break the team. So now your team is broken."
Bangladesh’s victory, which once again intensified criticism in Pakistan, was notable for their ability to recover from 26 for 6 in their first innings of the second Test and restrict Pakistan’s first-innings lead to just 12 runs. Their rookie pacers Hasan Mahmud and Nahid Rana combined to take nine wickets, dismissing the hosts for 172 and setting Bangladesh a target of 185, which they chased down comfortably on the final day.
"Those who caused the damage and then left, how will they be held accountable? Chairmanship should never be honorary. These individuals are not audited. It should be enshrined in the (PCB) Constitution that you (the chairman) can’t appoint a captain or form a selection committee," Latif continued.
"You have given all the power to the chairman. They know nothing about cricket."
Mohsin Naqvi is the current PCB chairman, having been appointed in February 2024.
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