Published: Apr 05, 2016, 06:49 PM (IST)
Edited: Apr 05, 2016, 06:50 PM (IST)
Islamabad: According to former Pakistan cricketer Imran Khan his team’s performance in T20 World Cup 2016 would have been much better if Misbah-ul-Haq was calling the shots instead of Shahid Afridi. According to Imran, Afridi was given certain directions before the start of the tournament but he went completely in the opposite direction. Imran also said that Pakistan lack facilities and cricket grounds for budding cricketers to play. He went on to say that the nation has a lot of talent. Imran’s body language suggested that he was not happy with the way Afridi led the Pakistan team. FULL CRICKET SCORECARD: England vs West Indies, ICC World T20 2016, Final at Kolkata
Imran was quoted by ARY News saying that club cricket in Pakistan needs to be encouraged and bettered. He was saying this while he was present at fast bowler’s talent hunt programme which was held at G-8 ground in the capital city of Islamabad. Earlier, Imran had said that it was painful that he was being linked with Pakistan’s defeat against India in a World Twenty20match. Imran had visited the Indian city of Kolkata to watch the match and also spent some time with the team. He had advised the players on how to handle pressure in the crunch match. “My advice to the team is being blamed for the defeat [against India],” bemused Khan told media.
Team manager Intikhab Alam in a report, parts of which were leaked, said that Khan’s advice was not helpful as he was not “familiar with the demands and tactics employed in this condensed, post-modern format of the game.” Reacting to the reports, Khan had taken a swipe at Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) Chairman Shaharyar Khan and another senior official Najam Sethi, demanding their resignation. Khan has been demanding for sometimes for reform in the cricket board.
(With inputs from PTI)
