PCB's Mistake Led To World Cup Loss? Misbah-ul-Haq Reveals 'Ignored' Advice To Board

12.11.2023 - 09:09 sports.ndtv.com

Former captain Misbah Ul Haq has claimed the Pakistan Cricket Board ignored his suggestion to have a reassessment of the national team's spin bowling attack in the World Cup upon the insistence of captain Babar Azam and head coach Mickey Arthur.

Pakistan, who were facing an improbable situation to make the semifinals, failed to progress into the final four for the third consecutive World Cup on Saturday after England won the toss and opted to bat.

While Pakistan vice-captain and frontline spinner Shadab Khan has just two wickets to show in six matches, part-timer Iftikhar Ahmed (four) and youngster Usama Mir (four) have had marginally better returns.

In fact, Mohammad Nawaz, who has got a long backing from the team management, garnered a mere two wickets in five matches of the league stage.

cricket Pakistan Cricket Team World Cup 2023 cup loss Babar Azam Mickey Arthur Asia Cup Mohammad Nawaz Pakistan

Former Pakistan all-rounder Shahid Afridi has lashed out at Babar Azam's capataincy after the national cricket team's poor show at Cricket World Cup 2023. Pakistan lost five of their nine matches played in the league stage of the tournament and failed to qualify for the semi-finals. Their defeats also included one at the hands of Afghanistan. The Hashmatullah Shahidi-led side outplayed Babar Azam and company by eight wickets. Criticising Babar, Afridi said that the player has not improved as captain in the past few years.

'Younis, Afridi, Misbah Would've Won World Cup With This Kind Of Support': Ex-Pakistan Star

Babar Azam's captaincy and Pakistan cricket team's poor show in Cricket World Cup 2023 has come under lot of scrunity. Pakistan failed to qualify for the semifinals of the tournament after finishing fifth in the points table, which led to several former cricketers demanding wholesale changes in the side, including the removal of Babar as skipper. The team, having stars like Babar, Mohammad Rizwan, Shaheen Afridi and Haris Rauf, suffered losses against India, Australia, South Africa, England and a shock defeat at the hands of Afghanistan.

Babar Azam Steps Down From Pakistan Cricket Team Captaincy After Cricket World Cup 2023 Debacle

Babar Azam has stepped down as Pakistan cricket team skipper following his team's disappointing run in the Cricket World Cup 2023. Pakistan lost five out of their nine matches and failed to qualify for the semifinals. Babar himself did not have a great outing in the tournament with 320 runs from 9 matches. The cricketer came under a lot of pressure from both experts and fans regarding his captaincy and his lack of form with the bat did not help matters. Currently, Shadab Khan was the vice-captain of Pakistan's World Cup team with Shaheen Afridi among the probable names to take over as the next skipper.

"Who Put Them In Charge?": Ramiz Raja Slams PCB, Defends Babar Azam Over Poor Run In Cricket World Cup 2023

Former Pakistan captain Ramiz Raja slammed the bowlers and the country's cricket board following the team's poor performance in ODI World Cup 2023. The Babar Azam-led side failed to qualify for the semi-finals of the tournament after finishing at the fifth spot in the points table at the end of the league stage. Pakistan lost five of their nine matches that included a disappointing eight-wicket loss at the hands of Afghanistan. Ramiz didn't mince words while slamming the bowlers and the Pakistan Cricket Board.

Cricket World Cup - "Not Needed": Shahid Afridi, Wasim Akram's Sharp Response On Babar Azam's 'Easy To Give Opinion' Comment

The Pakistan cricket team's Cricket World Cup 2023 campaign never really took off. With only four wins in nine matches, the Babar Azam-led Pakistan side finished their Cricket World on a disappointing note. Nothing really worked for the Pakistan cricket team. On top of that there were reports that the Pakistan Cricket Board was not really happy with Babar Azam's captaincy. The star batter was heavily criticised by former Pakistan cricket team players. Naturally, Babar was unhappy.

"Pakistan Team Was Too Soft...": Ex-India Star's Damning Cricket World Cup 2023 Verdict

Pakistan cricket team had a disappointing run in the Cricket World Cup 2023 and the Babar Azam-led side failed to qualify for the semifinals after losing five out of their nine group stage matches. A massive reason behind the capitulation was the lack of form shown by the Pakistan pacers and the bowling department as a whole. Former Indian cricket team star Mohammed Kaif took to social media and said that the Pakistan side was "too soft" and their pacers were "too nice" in this World Cup.