Mudassar Nazar exposes source of tension between Babar Azam and Shaheen Afridi

Former Pakistani all-rounder Mudassar Nazar has taken a dig at the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) for the unrest in the national team. Mudassar Nazar blamed the Pakistan Cricket Board for creating friction between Babar Azam and Shaheen Afridi over the ongoing turmoil in the Pakistan team.

Pakistan cricket has been going through controversies, especially due to instability within the Pakistan Cricket Board. The Men in Green have had disappointing outings across formats over the past year. They lost to Bangladesh 2-0 in a Test series at home, which is a low for them in history.

Babar Azam has resigned as Pakistan's white-ball captain amidst ongoing rumors of internal conflict within the national team. The 29-year-old had initially stepped down as all-format captain after the 2023 ODI World Cup. However, he was reinstated as the white-ball leader just a few months later.

Shouldn't Have Messed Around With The Set-Up - Mudassar Nazar

Speaking to the news agency PTI, Mudassar Nazar criticized the Pakistan Cricket Board for making frequent changes in captaincy. Nazar highlighted that the turmoil between Babar Azam and Shaheen Afridi is a result of the board's decisions.

"It is our own doing (the friction between Babar and Shaheen). We shouldn't have messed around with the set-up," Mudassar told PTI on the sidelines of the 'Cricket Predicta Conclave' in Ajman, UAE.

Shaheen Afridi was appointed as the captain of the Pakistan T20I side. However, he was sacked from captaincy after a disappointing 4-1 series loss to New Zealand. There are rumors of a rift between Babar Azam and Shaheen Afridi, who are the two leading figures in the current Pakistan cricket team.

We Are Down At The Moment - Mudassar Nazar

The 68-year-old former cricketer stated that the current struggles facing Pakistan cricket are due to mismanagement within the sport. He criticized the frequent changes in the cricket board, adding that instability has not been beneficial. However, he expressed optimism for the future.

"It goes in a cycle. In Pakistan, yes, we are down at the moment. A lot of that is our own fault, the way we run cricket in Pakistan. Nobody has addressed the issue seriously. We are changing the cricket board after every two, three, four months, a year. That hasn't helped either."

"But I'm hopeful one day Pakistan cricket will come up and surely it will because before you know it, you get three, four new players who come in and start to make a name for themselves. And there you go, the Pakistan team becomes one of the top teams again," Mudassar Nazar went on to add.

Pakistan's performance in major tournaments has been disappointing since reaching the final of the 2022 T20 World Cup. They were eliminated in the group stage of both the 2023 ODI World Cup and the 2024 T20 World Cup. The Pakistan team lost to the United States of America (USA) in the T20 World Cup.

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