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Like many former cricketers, Azhar Ali is also disheartened with the Pakistan National Cricket Team's recent slide in international cricket. As in multiple instances, this time too, the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) made major shifts in their Test squad by sacking seven players, the head coach, and the assistant coach, with one more match to go against England in the ongoing three-match Test series.
For many years past down the line, Pakistan cricket team was recognised as one of the most unpredicatble team acorss the world. But now, the recent results across the formats hint the team has reached its nadir. For a massive slide, Azhar Ali took a sharp dig at Aaqib Javed, the board's High Performance Director.
Azhar Ali questions Aaqib Javed's decisions
Azhar Ali mentioned that for three years now, the board has been doing chopping and changing to control the situation. As the head of High Performance, Aaqib Javed, who is also believed to have a strong bond with the PCB head, Mohsin Naqvi, takes most of the major decisions related to the team. Ali, a former Pakistan captain, stated that for years, the performances of the players have been under the scanner, but somehow Javed escaped the upheavals all the time.
In a recent conversation, Javed blamed the players and the head coach Sarfaraz Ahmed, who was also sacked after two heavy defeats against England, for the poor results in the longest format of the game. Azhar Ali highlighted the fact that the decision to retain Babar Azam as the Test team captain only a few months ago must have taken into account Javed's concerns. Now, only after a couple of defeats, Aaqib Javed himself started to show doubts about Babar Azam.
"We have had bad decisions like these for three years now. He should take responsibility for the performances. His judgment should be questioned. I listened to his interview this week, and he was trying to blame Sarfaraz Ahmed [Test head coach sacked after the Lord’s defeat] and Babar [Azam]. He appointed them just a few months earlier," Azar Ali expressed in an interview with the Guardian.
Aaqib Javed asks Aaqib Javed to step down from his PCB post
Ali, who was a part of the 2016 squad which ended a Test series by 2-2 with England, observed that on most of the occasions, Aaqib Javed's calls backfired. So he suggested Javed resign from his position if he finds it hard to control the team.
“That was enough for me to judge someone. Every decision he makes backfires, and he then says: ‘It’s not me.’ Look at yourself first. And if you cannot control this team, if you cannot make a difference to Pakistan cricket, then step away,” Azhar said.
Azhar Ali asks PCB to support Babar Azam
He further claimed that Babar Azam was appointed as the captain of the team at the worst possible time. The batter may have doubts over his own form, but to motivate him as well as the team, it is the duty of the board to show support.
"It is probably the worst time to captain Pakistan right now. He has to consider his options, too, I believe. Every player goes through periods of low scores, but as a nation we just kept expecting him to deliver, and criticism followed. It has played on his mind, and he has doubted himself, while lacking any internal support," Azhar Ali said.
