PTI
LAHORE
With Pakistan suffering an embarrassing exit from the ongoing Asia Cup, PCB chairman Shaharyar Khan on Thursday said there will be changes in the national squad before the opening match of the World T20 which begins in India next week.
"I assure their will be changes in the national team before the World Cup begins because accountability is necessary for the continuing poor performance of the team in ODIs and T20 cricket," Khan told the media in Lahore. Reliable sources confirmed to PTI that Shaharyar had began deliberations with number of people to access how to halt the poor show of the team.
"He has also spoken to Pakistan's Test captain Misbah-ul-Haq on phone and also invited Younis Khan for a meeting as both are his advisors on cricket matters," one source said. The deliberations in the PCB will continue on Friday, the source added.
Khan told the media it was understandable the way people were feeling let down by the team's show in the Asia Cup. "Common public feels lets down, and we also feel the same. But we don't want to look for scapegoats to explain the defeats. But we are also aware changes are necessary now," he said without elaborating who would be changed in the team.
"I can assure there will not be a witch-hunt and there will be no scapegoat but it is a fact that the people have been let down by the team and management," he added. Pakistan crashed out of the tournament after losing to Bangladesh by five wickets on Wednesday night.
Khan also made it clear that he wanted to improve Pakistan cricket and he will make changes in every department but while some might be instant others will take time. "The team administration will be questioned about what went wrong and they will be held accountable," he added.
Speculations are strong that the PCB might ask experienced all-rounder Shahid Afridi to step down as captain and appoint wicketkeeper Sarfaraz Ahmed in his place for the World T20 when the team returns from Bangladesh later this week before going to India. One source in the board said during deliberations Thursday a common thread that emerged was that everyone felt Afridi was not pulling his weight as a player and seemed helpless as captain on the field. "The chief selector could also face the axe as in the deliberations the selectors were blamed for not managing and selecting players properly since last year," the source said.
