Shoaib Akhtar Slams Pakistan Cricket: ‘No Room for Strong Personalities…’ | Cricket News

Former cricketer Shoaib Akhtar has said that the Pakistan Cricket Board is looking for players who will abide by everything that they say and don’t hold a strong personality, slamming the administration after Pakistan suffered a defeat to arch-rivals India in the final of the Asia Cup.

Akhtar pointed out systemic flaws in Pakistan cricket, saying that the side lacks aggression and character.

Pakistan lost to India in Sunday’s final, after which the Indian cricketers refused to accept the winner’s trophy from Mohsin Naqvi, who heads the Asian Cricket Council and the Pakistan Cricket Board.

The tournament had been fraught with tension from the very start and the animosity carried into the final, which India won by five wickets on a rather long Sunday night.

“Humey ab shareef bacche chahiyen, jo aaath baje curfew lagake ghar pe baith jaye. Cricket board ko in jaise bechare, lallu-kattu chahiye. They don’t want strong personalities. This is the reflection of the PCB policies,” Akhtar said while speaking on ARY News. 

“Where will the attitude come when the captain is not inspiring? The captain is a reflection of the board’s choices. Senseless and headless-chicken management. The team combinations were not right, the captaincy was not spot on and they were not willing to listen to us,” Akhtar added.

The former Pakistan player used humour to highlight the decline of the country’s once-proud pace-bowling tradition.

“From the first day after my retirement, I had decided I would never join PCB, as whoever has gone there has never come out with respect. I work in TV, take money and sit,” Akhtar said.