Islamabad
The Senate Standing Committee on Inter-Provincial Coordination (IPC) on Wednesday summoned Pakistan Cricket Board Chairman Ehsan Mani over the dismal performance of the national cricket team against Sri Lanka.
Sri Lanka’s tour of Pakistan ended earlier this month with the guests completing a 3-0 clean-sweep in the Twenty20 series in Lahore. Pakistan had claimed the ODI series in Karachi with 2-0.
The committee members expressed concerns over the lackluster performance of the green shirts in the matches.
“Had we [committee members] been in the place of the cricket team, Pakistan would have won,” remarked Committee Chairman Senator Sardar Yaqoob Khan Nasar.
PML-N Senator Mushahidullah Khan criticised the PCB chairman for not attending the meetings and asked the committee chairman to make it mandatory for the chief of the cricket body to attend all meetings of the Senate committee.
He alleged that Umar Akmal and Ahmed Shehzad were included in the team “as a favour”, adding that Misbahul Haq was pressured to take the decision.
PTI Senator Faisal Javed said that he was unable to digest the defeat of green shirts on home ground. The senator termed the performance as “shameful”. He also raised questions over the appointment of the same person as chief selector and coach.
Last month, the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB), in a first, had appointed former skipper Misbahul Haq to the joint position of head coach and chief selector for the men’s team.
Javed said he wanted to know the reasons behind the team’s defeat, asking why all the members of the “number one Twenty20” team were changed.
The senator said that former head coach Mickey Arthur had leveled several accusations against Umar Akmal, inquiring as to why the sportsman was included in the team soon after Arthur’s departure.
He added that all these issues should be addressed before the upcoming “important tour” of Australia.—Agencies
