Babar Azam, Shaheen Afridi? 2 senior Pakistan cricketers threaten PCB to leave central contracts
In a big shock for Pakistan cricket, two senior players of the Pakistan cricket team have reportedly threatened the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) to leave the central contracts if they are demoted from their category.
There have been lots of turmoil in the PCB over the last few days. The chairman of PCB Mohsin Naqvi is under serious pressure to take a significant step after Pakistan's group-stage exit from the T20 World Cup 2024. As a result, the board removed the selectors Wahab Riaz and Abdul Razzaq from their roles.
Two senior Pakistan players threaten PCB to leave central contract
While Riaz and Razzaq became the first victims after Pakistan's dismal performance in the T20 World Cup 2024, PCB is likely to take a significant step by demoting two senior players from their categories in the respective central contracts.
Sports journalist Muhammad Saad Abbasi confirmed the news through his X (formerly Twitter) handle. Abbasi stated that the two senior players have threatened to leave the central contracts but the PCB is unlikely to listen to them and will carry on with the process.
"Two senior players of the Pakistan cricket team have indirectly sent a message to the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) that they will leave the central contracts if they are demoted from their categories. However, the PCB have decided that they cannot be blackmailed and a news will come out in the upcoming one or two weeks that two senior players of Pakistan cricket team have left their central contracts," Abbasi said on X.
It is still not known which two players the Pakistan Cricket Board is referring to. Many senior players in the team are under serious pressure as the team has been underperforming for a long time now. Before the T20 World Cup 2024, Pakistan lost a T20I to Ireland and a T20I series to England.
Pakistan had a poor T20 World Cup 2024
Pakistan cricket team is already going through a bad time in the past few months. The team was eliminated from the T20 World Cup 2024 after the group stage and failed to make it to the Super 8 stage after the defeats to the USA and India in the first two games.
The loss to the USA was particularly shocking for the Men in Green as they were expected to outclass a much less experienced team. But the USA surprised everyone with their temperament and skills to beat a much higher-ranked team. As a result, the USA went on to qualify for the Super 8 stage on a historic occasion.
India and USA qualified from Group A while Pakistan suffered an early exit. As a result, Babar Azam and his men faced severe criticism from the country's former experts and fans. Babar Azam's captaincy is also hanging by a thread. Under his leadership, Pakistan failed to reach the semi-finals of the ODI World Cup 2023 as well.
