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Former Pakistan cricketer Waqar Younis has made a significant statement following his appointment as the Chief Cricket Officer of the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB). Younis has made it clear that his priority will be to address and eliminate favoritism within Pakistan cricket.
The Pakistan cricket team has struggled recently, with their performance declining over the past year and leading to early exits from ICC tournaments. In response, the PCB has brought Waqar Younis on board as the Chief Cricket Officer, where he will serve as an advisor to Chairman Mohsin Naqvi. Younis’s role is expected to be similar to that of Rob Key’s position with the ECB as its managing director.
Waqar Younis makes a bold statement following his new appointment at the PCB
Upon taking on his new role, Waqar Younis emphasized that the board will now take charge of managing player workloads. He also aims to eradicate the culture of favoritism within Pakistan cricket.
“Our selection criteria is simple. We will manage workload of the players too. And we will try to get rid of this favouritism and liking and disliking culture,” Waqar Younis said as quoted by PakPassion.net.
The PCB has withheld (NOCs) from key players, citing concerns over workload management.
To manage player workload, the PCB might deny No Objection Certificates (NOCs) for participation in various T20 leagues. Recently, the board refused NOCs to Shaheen Shah Afridi, Babar Azam, and Mohammad Rizwan for the Global T20 in Canada.
This decision was made after discussions with the players, with the PCB citing the packed international schedule as the reason. Since these players are involved in all formats of the game, the board aims to manage their workload effectively to keep them fresh for a demanding calendar ahead.
In addition to workload management, issues of favoritism have surfaced within the team. Skipper Babar Azam has faced criticism for favoring certain players despite their underwhelming performances.
Pakistan’s recent performances have been disappointing, with the team exiting the T20 World Cup 2024 after losing to the USA and India in the group stage. Although they won their subsequent matches against Canada and Ireland, they failed to advance to the Super 8 stage, finishing third in their group.
Similarly, in the ODI World Cup last year, Pakistan did not make it to the semi-finals and suffered a surprising defeat to Afghanistan. Babar Azam’s captaincy in both tournaments is now under scrutiny.
