(Image source from: Ndtv.in)
The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) has imposed a fine of PKR 5 million (Rs 16.28 lakh) on each player from the national team because they did not make it to the semifinals of the T20 World Cup, as reported by Express Tribune. The report also mentioned that this action was taken after Pakistan lost to India in the group stage. Pakistan was defeated in their Super 8 match against England, and although they managed a tight win over Sri Lanka, it wasn’t sufficient for them to qualify. The report continued by stating that the board officials were very unhappy with how the team performed, leading to the tough decision of fining the players for failing to reach the semifinals of an ICC tournament again. While Pakistan concluded their T20 World Cup journey with a win, the team's overall lackluster performance during the event has disappointed the cricket community in the country. “You only get one chance in two years to showcase your nation’s cricket skills, and once again, you fail. It is truly disheartening to witness this,” former captain and batting legend Javed Miandad remarked on Sunday.
The batting legend noted that the more he observed T20 cricket, the clearer it became to him that it has grown into a very structured format, and Pakistani players are struggling to compete with other teams. Miandad expressed concern about the team’s performance against higher-ranked opponents, emphasizing that the Pakistan Cricket Board needs to make some significant changes now. Former captain Mohammad Yousuf pointed out that certain players have been granted too many chances to prove themselves in T20 cricket but have not succeeded in important matches. “It's time to move forward and learn from our mistakes,” he stated. Former skipper Moin Khan declared that Pakistan will not succeed in an ICC event unless they can beat top-ranked teams. “It’s impossible to win a significant tournament without the ability to defeat leading teams. Regrettably, we have made too many selection errors and on-field misjudgments. More crucially, our key players did not perform well in the World Cup,” he lamented.
Former captain Babar Azam, current captain Salman Ali Agha, along with senior players like Shadab Khan, Shaheen Shah Afridi, and Mohammad Nawaz are under heavy scrutiny. Agha is likely to resign from his captaincy once he returns home. Saqlain Mushtaq, who has also been a coach for Pakistan in the past, has also received considerable criticism for attempting to defend Shadab’s performance by blaming head coach Mike Hesson.
