PCB Chairman Zaka Ashraf Blames Previous Administration For Injury To Key Players Ahead Of ICC World Cup 2023

PCB Chairman Zaka Ashraf in a meeting at the NCA in Lahore on Wednesday (September 20) blamed the previous ad, ministration for injury to key players ahead of a big event like the World Cup.

The Pakistan team is sweating over injuries to key pacers Haris Rauf and Naseem Shah. All teams must finalize their 15-player squads for the World before September 28. Pakistan along with Sri Lanka and Bangladesh were the final three teams left to announce their World Cup squad. The Men In Green finally announced their World Cup squad with Naseem Shah ruled out of the mega event.

Haris Rauf has returned to practice at the National Cricket Academy facility in Lahore. He did not bowl in the last Super 4 match against Sri Lanka as a precautionary measure due to a side strain. Rauf’s fellow pacer Naseem Shah suffered a shoulder injury and hence he too was dropped from Pakistan’s final Super 4 game against Sri Lanka.

As a precautionary measure, two Pakistan lead pacers were rested from the Sri Lanka game. Rauf had reported discomfort due to his side train following which there were MRI reports done. However, there were no tears or any other sort of serious injury issues. Naseem was already suffering from a shoulder injury and picked up a wrist injury in the match against India to finally get ruled out of the tournament due to injury.

Also Read: Pakistan World Cup Squad 2023 Announced, Hasan Ali Replaces Naseem Shah

Previous Management Allowed Players To Play League Cricket Which Caused Them Fatigue Ahead Of National Duty: Zaka Ashraf

Meanwhile, the meeting chaired by Zaka Ashraf along with Pakistan skipper Babar Azam and the coaching staff was to review Pakistan’s performance in the Asia Cup, the fitness of key players, and the future roadmap of the national team heading into the World Cup.

“The philosophy behind this review was to create an atmosphere of open discussion and develop consensus. The idea is to have everyone on board and debate about performances, identifying the problems and their solutions. We have to debate strengths and weaknesses so that we are clear about what and where we need to invest for the betterment of our team”.

“Discussion revealed that the previous management had allowed a lot of players to play league cricket which caused them to fatigued ahead of their national duty. But going forward we have agreed to form a proactive approach to tackle players workload and give national duty a priority”.

“I am glad we had a good positive review session and are on the same page. We are confident that the experience gained in the Asia Cup was a learning curve and will help prepare for the ICC Men’s World Cup” the PCB Chairman pointed out.

On Pakistan’s World Cup campaign, the current PCB Chairman said that his team has the necessary talent to win the World Cup. He further backed the support staff to get the players fit and ready for the ICC event.

“Our team is filled with talent, and we believe they have the capability to compete and win at the highest level. We have world-class batters and bowlers and are committed to providing them with the necessary support and resources to ensure they are well-equipped ahead of the mega event” Zaka Ashraf concluded.

Pakistan Squad for ICC World Cup 2023: Babar Azam (C), Shadab Khan (VC), Fakhar Zaman, Imam ul Haq, Abdullah Shafique, Mohammad Rizwan (wk), Agha Salman, Saud Shakeel, Iftikhar Ahmed, Mohammad Nawaz, Usama Mir, Shaheen Afridi, Haris Rauf, Hassan Ali, Mohammad Wasim Jr