As a result of accusations of a “conflict of interest,” namely that he is handled by the same UK-based management company that also looks after the commercial interests of several of the active players, Inzamam was actually dismissed following the tournament.
Inzamam ul Haq, the former captain and chairman of the selectors, was incensed with Zaka Ashraf, the departing top head of the Pakistan Cricket Board, for the team’s dismal performance in the ODI World Cup in India last year. Zaka, who was appointed chairman of an interim management committee to oversee PCB matters in July, abruptly resigned from his position as chairman and board member a few days ago during a committee meeting.
As a result of accusations of a “conflict of interest,” namely that he is handled by the same UK-based management company that also looks after the commercial interests of several of the active players, Inzamam was actually dismissed following the tournament.
“Can you imagine the mindset of the players when during an important event like the World Cup in India they hear that the PCB Chairman is saying the team selected was not done by the board but by the captain and chief selector only,” Inzamam told a Pakistani television station.
When Pakistan lost a couple games in the World Cup, the PCB released a press release at Zaka’s request that totally denied any accountability for the side that was chosen and hinted that captain Babar Azam would be fired following the competition. Inzamam was referring to this press release.
“Just think what must be going through the players mind when they hear that an inquiry committee has been formed against the chief selector and he has resigned,” he added.
The usually calm Inzamam bellowed, “Where does this happen?
To investigate the former skipper’s alleged conflicts of interest, Zaka established an investigating committee.
“I am still waiting for that report of the inquiry committee against me which was formed to probe whether I had committed a conflict of interest while being the chief selector,” he laughed.
According to Inzamam, everyone knew exactly how Zaka ran the PCB management.
Furthermore, Inzamam believed that the PCB and Pakistan cricket should no longer be managed on an as-needed basis.
The team’s performance suffered as a result of these adjustments, and you can only image what the other players would be thinking when they put pressure on a player of Babar Azam’s caliber. The team needed to be given full trust because they were having trouble at the World Cup, but this didn’t happen.”
He also expressed amazement at how fast PCB fired head coach Mickey Arthur and Babar just hours after Pakistan was eliminated from the World Cup.
“What does this signify? that the PCB had made up their minds on what they planned to do beforehand? According to Inzamam, he still thought that the Pakistani team had talented players who lacked confidence.
“There is no problem with the team, they just need confidence and backing.”
Mustafa Ramday, a senior PCB officer, echoed Inzamam’s concerns, saying that Zaka’s dictatorial methods started to hurt the board.
Mustafa, who was one of the two contenders for the PCB’s Board of Governors and Chairmanship when former Prime Minister Shahbaz Sharif chose him, claimed Zaka ran a one-man operation and that it seriously harmed Pakistani cricket.
Ramday stated on the Geo News channel, “You can see how the team’s performances have been compromised and this is a failure on our part, the Interim Management Committee.”
“It is unfortunate that cricket has been run on ad-hocism for the last one year and it has affected the performance of the team,” he stated.
Ramday added that when the IMC’s extension expires on February 4th, elections for the creation of the Board of Governors (BOG) may take place in two weeks.
“I told Zaka he should not resign and hold the elections but for some reason he said he can’t carry on because of governmental interference,” Ramday said.
Ramday speculated that since Zaka’s qualifications were in doubt, this might have been done on purpose.
In response to a query, Ramday clarified that the IMC had no input into the flurry of choices involving the selection of new selectors, coaches, or players that resulted in Babar Azam’s resignation as captain.
“Before, we received notifications indicating our de facto approval. Members were not active in cricket management, and the inclusive notion was absent. A few members also wrote letters, but sadly they were ignored.” Ramday stated that it was time for Pakistani cricket to move past its ad hocism and establish a Board of Directors (BOG) in order to provide a sense of permanence and allow for the making of wise decisions that would benefit the players and team.
“We have already suffered an unbearable loss as far as our cricket is concerned and our cricket fans deserve better than this,” he stated.
