Former captain says cricket board's delay in naming a skipper is harming their World Cup chances
Pakistan great Inzamam-ul-Haq has said the country's cricket board is harming their chances in the upcoming World Cup by delaying the announcement of a captain.
The PCB revealed its World Cup squad last week but held back on naming a skipper with all-rounder and one-day captain Shahid Afridi vying for the role with Test captain Misbah-ul-Haq.
"I fear the same fate as 2003 and 2007 for this team because just three weeks before the World Cup, the players don't know who will lead them in such a big event," Pakistan's most-capped player and former captain told the Daily Jang newspaper on Monday.
"I blame the cricket board for creating this crisis," Inzamam added. "By not announcing the captain it has created two groups in the team."
"They are two groups in the team: the Shahid Afridi group and the Misbah group, and in these circumstances it is unnatural to expect this team to perform well."
Uncertainty
The veteran of 120 Tests and 388 one-dayers said that, in refusing to name a captain so close to the start of the World Cup, the board was taking problems that already exist within the Pakistan team and making them worse.
"There is already uncertainty in the team and this will only create more friction and problems," Inzamam added.
"If they don't perform in the World Cup some players will be made scapegoats as usual when it is the board which is to blame for the crisis."
Inzamam was captain at the last World Cup in the Caribbean, where Pakistan exited in the first round after losing to minnows Ireland.
In the 2003 World Cup, Pakistan were also knocked out in the group stages with Inzamam scoring just 19 runs in six innings.
Professional
Another former Pakistan captain, Javed Miandad, said the players should try and simply focus on cricket.
"We have a good one-day combination which can do well in the World Cup but the players first need to adopt a more professional approach," he said.
"They must learn from someone like Sachin Tendulkar. He has scored so many runs and hundreds but you hardly ever hear him making any claims in the media. He performs like a professional."
The World Cup starts on February 19 and will be co-hosted by India, Sri Lanka and Bangladesh.
The PCB revealed its World Cup squad last week but held back on naming a skipper with all-rounder and one-day captain Shahid Afridi vying for the role with Test captain Misbah-ul-Haq.
"I fear the same fate as 2003 and 2007 for this team because just three weeks before the World Cup, the players don't know who will lead them in such a big event," Pakistan's most-capped player and former captain told the Daily Jang newspaper on Monday.
"I blame the cricket board for creating this crisis," Inzamam added. "By not announcing the captain it has created two groups in the team."
"They are two groups in the team: the Shahid Afridi group and the Misbah group, and in these circumstances it is unnatural to expect this team to perform well."
Uncertainty
The veteran of 120 Tests and 388 one-dayers said that, in refusing to name a captain so close to the start of the World Cup, the board was taking problems that already exist within the Pakistan team and making them worse.
"There is already uncertainty in the team and this will only create more friction and problems," Inzamam added.
"If they don't perform in the World Cup some players will be made scapegoats as usual when it is the board which is to blame for the crisis."
Inzamam was captain at the last World Cup in the Caribbean, where Pakistan exited in the first round after losing to minnows Ireland.
In the 2003 World Cup, Pakistan were also knocked out in the group stages with Inzamam scoring just 19 runs in six innings.
Professional
Another former Pakistan captain, Javed Miandad, said the players should try and simply focus on cricket.
"We have a good one-day combination which can do well in the World Cup but the players first need to adopt a more professional approach," he said.
"They must learn from someone like Sachin Tendulkar. He has scored so many runs and hundreds but you hardly ever hear him making any claims in the media. He performs like a professional."
The World Cup starts on February 19 and will be co-hosted by India, Sri Lanka and Bangladesh.
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