Published: Jun 18, 2013, 11:23 AM (IST)
Edited: Jun 18, 2013, 11:23 AM (IST)
Asad Shafiq was the first to arrive back in Pakistan after a poor showing in ICC Champions Trophy 2013 © Getty Images
Karachi: Jun 18, 2013
Pakistan’s young batsman, Asad Shafiq on Monday, apologised to the country’s fans on arrival at Karachi after the side’s disastrous outing in the ICC Champions Trophy 2013 in the United Kingdom.
“I am sorry,” Shafiq, the first Pakistani player to return home after the national team’s depressing showing, said at the Karachi international airport.
They struggled in a one-day series against minnows Ireland besides losing all their three group matches of the Champions Trophy. Members and officials of the Pakistan team have decided to return in small groups after the angry reaction from fans and cricket community in the country.
Head coach, Dav Whatmore has been defiant in the face of strong criticism.
But Whatmore’s excuses have done nothing to reduce the anger and frustration of the cricket fans even in the United Kingdom as fans there threw shoes and bottles at the players when they were boarding the team bus in Birmingham after the heavy defeat to India last Saturday.
Mohammad Irfan, Saeed Ajmal and Kamran Akmal are scheduled to return home early on Tuesday morning from London.
Ironically, the situation in Pakistan cricket at the moment is also uncertain with the Islamabad High Court having suspended Zaka Ashraf from working as the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) head.
The court has also ordered the ministry of inter provincial coordination to appoint an interim chairman to go and attend the ICC executive board meeting in London along with chief operating officer, Subhan Ahmed.
