Former players on Tuesday called for a major shake-up in Pakistani
cricket after the national side lost the five-match one-day series
against Sri Lanka 3-0.
Sri Lanka, who won the preceding three-test series 2-0 to post
their first home series win against Pakistan, crushed Pakistan by
six wickets on Monday to secure the limited-overs contest as well.
Sri Lanka have never won a home one-day series against Pakistan
before and are now eyeing a clean sweep.
Mahela Jayawardene scored a brisk 123 for his first one-day
century in two years to help Sri Lanka overhaul a daunting 289-run
target at the Rangiri International Stadium.
Pakistani former captain Zaheer Abbas said the defeat stressed
the need for a major overhaul.
"The World Twenty20 win had hid all the weaknesses in the team
and the cricket board," said Abbas, referring to Pakistan's triumph
in England in June.
"The top man doesn't know much about the intricacies of cricket
and is taking decisions to please his friends," Abbas said of
Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) chairman Ijaz Butt. "From top to
bottom we need changes.
"Since this board has taken over we have lost the Champions
Trophy, we have been stripped of World Cup 2011 matches and we have
failed to handle the team, so this is total mismanagement, which is
unacceptable," said Abbas.
Security fears in Pakistan forced the International Cricket
Council (ICC) to relocate the biennial Champions Trophy to South
Africa in February. Two months later, the ICC also had to move
World Cup 2011 matches out of Pakistan.
"The coach (Intikhab Alam) must go, and the captain (Younus
Khan) also lacks the qualities of a good leader," said Abbas.
Former chief selector Abdul Qadir demanded resignations from the
board and the team.
"They should feel ashamed," said Qadir, who resigned in June
after alleging interference in selection matters from the PCB and
Alam.
"Defeats are part and parcel of the game, but shameful defeats
are unacceptable."
Former captain Aamir Sohail, who last month resigned as the
PCB's development director after differences with management, also
slammed the Pakistani setup.
"No one, from the board officials to the team management, seems
to have a clear plan in mind," he said.
"Some of the decisions make no sense, like two regular openers
were sent to Sri Lanka but we used makeshift openers in the series
which we have lost now."
But another former captain, Rashid Latif, differed.
"Changes are not the solution," said Latif. "I think the team
needs to go back to basics and there should be no interference in
team planning. The team must play to its own plan."
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