Sports

Wasim Akram tells PCB to ‘stick’ to decisions after Salman Butt saga

Published

5 months ago

Farwa

Days after the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) appointed former cricketer Salman Butt only to fire him within 24 hours, ex-legendary pacer Wasim Akram has advised the board to “stick” to their decision.

Taking to social media platform X, Akram took a dig at the cricket board for backtracking on its decision to fire Butt and said: “Don’t hold a press conference after every three minutes. Stick to your decision.”

“You [PCB] should be aware of the consequences of your decision […] Think before [you make a decision]. Be brave,” he added.

– Stick to your decisions and be brave… #Cricket #Pakistan pic.twitter.com/greyXxgtvq
— Wasim Akram (@wasimakramlive) December 4, 2023

The former star left-arm pacer was referring to the board’s decision to appoint Butt — along with Kamran Akmal and Rao Iftikhar Anjum — as a “consultant member” to chief selector Wahab Riaz. The decision, however, didn’t sit well with former cricketers and fans who lambasted the board for appointing the controversial figure to the board — leading to his dismissal the very next day.

Butt, for his role in the 2010 spot-fixing scandal, was sentenced to 30 months in prison and banned from playing for 10 years for being involved in conspiracy to bowl deliberate no-balls during a 2010 Test match against England at Lord’s.

The decision to fire Butt was announced by chief selector Wahab Riaz who said that he had communicated to the former skipper that he could not be part of his team.

However, it was later revealed that the PCB reverted its earlier decision on the directions of caretaker Prime Minister Anwaar-ul-Haq Kakar who stressed that the selection committee must be free from controversy, adding that the prime minister has directed for “well-reputed” and “non-controversial” selectors to be appointed for the post.

The Sultan of Swing — while commenting on newly appointed officials — underscored the significance of giving new management enough to prove their mettle.

“Let’s give them one year […] Mohammad] Hafeez has come in as director of cricket and coach, Riaz has come in as chief selector, Kamran Akmal and co. Give them some time, it’s their turn.”

Akram also wished good luck to the Pakistan cricket team ahead of their Test series against Australia.

It is to be noted that the Green Shirts — who have not won a match in Australia in nearly three decades — will lock horns with the Aussies in their three-match test series with the home side.

Australia squad: David Warner, Usman Khawaja, Marnus Labuschagne, Steve Smith, Travis Head, Mitchell Marsh, Alex Carey, Pat Cummins (captain), Mitchell Starc, Nathan Lyon, Josh Hazlewood, Scott Boland, Cameron Green, Lance Morris

Pakistan squad: Shan Masood (captain), Aamir Jamal, Abdullah Shafique, Abrar Ahmed, Babar Azam, Faheem Ashraf, Hasan Ali, Imam-ul-Haq, Khurram Shahzad, Mir Hamza, Mohammad Rizwan (wk), Mohammad Wasim Jnr, Noman Ali, Saim Ayub, Salman Ali Agha, Sarfaraz Ahmed (wk), Saud Shakeel and Shaheen Shah Afridi

Australia tour schedule:

Four-day match: PM’s XI vs Pakistan – December 6-9: Manuka Oval, Canberra

1st Test – Australia vs Pakistan – December 14-18: Perth Stadium

2nd Test – Australia vs Pakistan – December 26-30: Melbourne Cricket Ground (MCG)

3rd Test – Australia vs Pakistan – January 3-7: Sydney Cricket Ground (SCG)

Latest News

The women’s team from Pakistan travels to England for a white-ball series.

Published

22 hours ago

Farwa

The national squad left Karachi earlier today to play three Twenty20 Internationals and three One-Day Internationals in the series.

Dr. Muhammad Faisal, Pakistan’s High Commissioner in England, greeted the women’s team and management.

The team will soon depart for Leicester to play a practice match on 9 May against the ECB Development XI. On May 11, in Birmingham, the first Twenty20 International will take place.

Notably, this will be Pakistan’s eighth and final series of the current event cycle. The ODIs in the series are a part of the ICC Women’s Championship 2022–25.

Pakistan women squad for England tour

Nida Dar (captain), Aliya Riaz, Ayesha Zafar, Diana Baig, Fatima Sana, Gull Feroza, Muneeba Ali (wk), Najiha Alvi (wk), Nashra Sundhu, Natalia Parvaiz, Rameen Shamim, Sadaf Shamas, Sadia Iqbal, Sidra Amin, Tuba Hassan, Umm-e-Hani and Waheeda Akhtar

Player support personnel: Nahida Khan (manager), Mauhtashim Rasheed (interim head coach), Saleem Jaffar (bowling coach), Taufeeq Umar (batting coach), Hanif Malik (fielding coach), Syed Nazir Ahmed (media manager), Rabia Siddiq (physiotherapist), Zubair Ahmed (analyst) and Hina Munawar (chief security officer)

Tour Schedule

9 May – T20 warm-up game v ECB Development XI, Uptonsteel County Ground (11.00 am local time)

11 May – 1st T20I, Birmingham (2.30 pm local time)

17 May – 2nd T20I, Northampton (6.30 pm local time)

19 May – 3rd T20I, Leeds (1.00 pm local time)

21 May – One-Day warm-up game v ECB Development XI, Northampton (11.00 am local time)

23 May – 1st ODI, Derby (1.00 pm local time) (ICC Women’s Championship)

26 May – 2nd ODI, Taunton (11.00 am local time) (ICC Women’s Championship)

29 May – 3rd ODI, Chelmsford (1.00 pm local time) (ICC Women’s Championship)

Latest News

Pakistan releases their England against Ireland team, and Hasan Ali is back.

Published

5 days ago

Farwa

The men in green will play a three-match series against Ireland before taking on England in a four-match series.

The 18-player roster now includes Salman Ali Agha, Hasan Ali, and Haris Rauf, who were all reinstated by the national selection committee.

Turn off the silence
Zaman Khan and Usama Mir, meanwhile, were left off the final roster.

Continue reading: Ramiz Raja selects Pakistan’s starting combination for the 2024 T20 World Cup

After the first Twenty20 International at Leeds on May 22, the team will be whittled down to 15 players for the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2024 next month in order to meet the ICC’s deadline of May 24.

Pakistan squad for Ireland and England series:

Babar Azam (c), Mohammad Rizwan (wk), Saim Ayub, Fakhar Zaman, Irfan Khan Niazi, Iftikhar Ahmad, Usman Khan, Azam Khan (wk), Shadab Khan, Imad Wasim, Shaheen Shah Afridi, Mohammad Amir, Naseem Shah, Haris Rauf, Abbas Afridi, Abrar Ahmed, Hasan Ali, Salman Ali Agha.

Ireland vs Pakistan T20I series:

10 May: First T20I in Dublin (7pm PST)

12 May: Second T20I in Dublin (7pm PST)

14 May: Third T20I in Dublin (7pm PST)

England vs Pakistan T20I series:

May 22: First T20I in Leeds (10:30pm PST)

May 25: Second T20I in Birmingham (6:30pm PST)

May 28: Third T20I in Cardiff (10:30pm PST)

May 30: Fourth T20I at The Oval, London (10:30pm PST)

Latest News

Gary Kirsten hopes to provide players with “clarity” prior to the Twenty20 World Cup.

Published

1 week ago

Farwa

When Kirsten featured on the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) podcast, she acknowledged the difficulty of making quick adjustments but expressed optimism that the squad could establish a structure over the next three weeks, giving the players plenty of time to prepare for the World Cup.

He added that they have been communicating as a squad and praised Azhar Mahmood for his outstanding work as the “interim head coach.”

“I happen to be working on an assignment right now. Moving away was therefore challenging. I need to look over my contract right now.

But the arrangements are set in motion. In his role as acting head coach, Azhar Mahmood is performing admirably. Right now, we’re speaking with each other. I’m learning about the squad and their style of play.

It’s lovely to see them play. I have to be in the room, but I have to keep my distance. Although we communicate as a team, he is now in charge. I don’t want to take the lead from a distance because I don’t believe it is a good place to be. Actually, it’s not easy, but we’re trying our hardest.

“It’s going to be a fast turnaround (for me), we just need to acknowledge that.” However, over the next three weeks or so, we hope to implement some structures into the team to give the players the clarity they need ahead of the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup.

Notably, Gujarat Titans, an Indian Premier League (IPL) team, have Gary Kirsten as their coach and mentor.

Kirsten will be leading the team in the following year’s ICC Champions Trophy 2025 in Pakistan, ACC T20 Asia Cup 2025, and the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2026 in India and Sri Lanka in addition to the forthcoming ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2024 and other bilateral white-ball series.