(Image source: X.com/@TheReaPCB)
[Saba Sports News] The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) chairman Zaka Ashraf called for a review meeting after Babar Azam and Co. faced a disastrous exit from the Asia Cup 2023. The meeting was attended by Pakistan skipper Babar Azam, head coach Grant Bradburn, Team director Mickey Arthur, vice-captain Shadab Khan, and technical committee members Misbah-ul-Haq and Mohammad Hafeez, who resigned on Thursday.
The purpose of the review meeting was to identify the team’s shortcomings and discuss potential solutions.
“The philosophy behind this review was to create an atmosphere of open discussion and develop consensus. The idea is to have everyone on board and debate about performances, identifying the problems and their solutions. We have to debate strengths and weaknesses so that we are clear about what and where we need to invest for the betterment of our team,” Ashraf was quoted as saying by the PCB website.
“Discussion revealed that the previous management had allowed a lot of players to play league cricket, which caused them to be fatigued ahead of their national duty. But going forward, we have agreed to form a proactive approach to tackling players’ workload and give national duty a priority,” he added.
Ashraf also asserted that the lessons learned from the Asia Cup would better prepare the Pakistan cricket team for the 2023 ICC Men’s World Cup. He expressed confidence in Pakistan’s ability to compete at the highest level.
“I am glad we had a good positive review session and are on the same page. We are confident that the experience gained in the Asia Cup was a learning curve and will help prepare for the ICC Men’s World Cup. Our team is filled with talent, and we believe they can compete and win at the highest level,” he concluded.
Pakistan is set to travel to India for the upcoming ICC Cricket World Cup 2023, with their first match scheduled against the Netherlands on October 6th in Hyderabad, followed by fixtures versus Sri Lanka and India on October 10th and 14th in Hyderabad and Ahmedabad respectively.