No groupism in Pakistan: Zaka Ashraf claims Babar Azam's sacking improved team unity

Changes in leadership are synonymous with Pakistan cricket, and when the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) made the blunder earlier this year, there were intense reports of a rift between Babar Azam and Shaheen Afridi and groupism in the team.

After Pakistan’s early exit from the 2023 ODI World Cup in India, Babar Azam was stripped off from the captaincy across the format. Later, Shan Masood was named Pakistan Test captain, with Shaheen taking over as T20I captain, but only for a few months.

After the poor performance of the Men in Green in a couple of T20I series, the PCB removed Shaheen and re-appointed Babar as the white-ball captain ahead of the T20 World Cup 2024 in the USA and Caribbean.

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No rift between Babar Azam and Shaheen Afridi: Zaka Ashraf

It led to speculations that there is not all well between the duo, with the team splitting into groups. However, all the drama started with the appointment of Babar as the skipper.

This discord disrupted team unity in Pakistan, and even during the T20 World Cup 2024, the white-ball head coach Gary Kirsten openly claimed that there was no unity in the team and the players were not supporting each other, playing only for themselves, not the team.

Amidst the ongoing Test series against Bangladesh at home, former PCB chief Zaka Ashraf denied any bad blood between Babar Azam and Shaheen and even claimed that the team unity improved when the star pacer was named the T20I captain.

Ashraf said on Samaa TV: “No, the unity didn't end (after removing Babar Azam as captain). In fact, the unity improved. When we told him to play as a player, which is his talent, but as a captain, his performance is not good, he agreed.”

The removal of Babar Azam ignited intense debates about team dynamics, with many claiming the team has a groupism. Zaka Ashraf denied the rumors, saying the team was not divided into groups when he was the PCB chief, and even he made the decision to appoint Afridi as T20I captain of the side.

Former PCB chief Zaka Ashraf claims there was no groupism after captaincy changes

He also lauded the Test captain Masood and former team director Mohammad Hafeez and called him a very honest man who had earlier claimed that the players were not supporting the support staff and even they slept during Test matches in Australia.

With a strong support system of former players like Mohammad Hafeez, Umar Gul, and Saeed Ajmal, the coaching staff and management were appointed to drive the team to success, said the former PCB chief, who was replaced by Mohsin Naqvi later.

Zaka Ashraf further revealed, “No, there was no grouping. The team was good. And we brought Shan Masood as the captain. He 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.”

Zaka Ashraf signed off by saying, “And our management, along with the team, Mohammad Hafeez, an excellent cricketer, a very honest person, we brought him along. Umar Gul, Saeed Ajmal, and these players, we brought them along so that the coaching staff is with the team.”

Muhammad Zaka Ashraf believes that replacing Babar Azam with Shaheen Afridi as captain was a smart move. #SamaaTV pic.twitter.com/bcwrPLdcgO

— SAMAA TV (@SAMAATV) September 2, 2024