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Atiq-uz-Zaman, the former Pakistan wicketkeeper, has voiced his disapproval of the Babar Azam-led team’s lack of discipline and concentration during the ICC T20 World Cup 2024. He raised concerns about the commitment of current Pakistani cricketers despite their lucrative earnings from the sport.
Pakistan endured a disappointing premature departure from the ongoing T20 World Cup 2024, experiencing unexpected defeats against the United States of America (USA) in their opening match and a narrow loss to arch-rivals India. This unexpected elimination has sparked criticism from both fans and analysts.
Atiq-uz-Zaman says Focus On Cricket Gets Diverted
During his appearance on the PakPassion YouTube channel, Atiq-uz-Zaman alleged that players’ performance suffered due to distractions such as bringing their families along. Zaman claimed that players traveled with their families, spent evenings with them, and participated in recreational activities, which he believed diverted their attention away from cricket.
“You have created this habit that you take your wife along and people do that, the players’ focus on cricket gets diverted and they are with their wives, and children in the evening. Then at night, you are going to have food at takeaways, watching movies. Begumo ko Saath Leke Ghuume Ki Aadat Hai. A system has been created in Pakistan cricket, a culture of no discipline. You are playing such a big event, where is your focus? You are earning crores to focus on cricket, can you not focus on cricket just for 2 weeks?” said Zaman.
Haris Rauf was caught in a public confrontation with a fan outside the team hotel, an incident that spread rapidly on social media through video footage. In response, Rauf took to Twitter to address the situation, noting that he was accompanied by his wife during the incident.
Meanwhile, former Pakistan T20I captain Shaheen Afridi faced a similar situation during the T20I series against Ireland, this time involving an Afghanistan supporter. Afridi expressed his displeasure and requested security personnel to intervene and remove the fan from the vicinity.
Atiq-uz-Zaman said Now You Have 17 Officials Alongside 17 Players
Atiq-uz-Zaman raised concerns about the large entourage of officials and players’ families joining tours. The former cricketer emphasized that such arrangements divert the team’s attention from cricket, particularly during important series. He contrasted this with his playing days, recalling a time when there were fewer support staff and distractions were minimized.
“During our times there used to be one coach and one manager and that was the team. Now you have 17 officials alongside 17 players. I have heard they have booked 60 rooms in the hotel, it’s a joke, have you gone there to play cricket or on holiday? Why do you allow families in big series? it is understandable if it happens for smaller series, Begum jaan nahi chodti,” added Zaman.
Following Pakistan’s premature elimination, ex-cricketers have called for extensive reforms within the current team. Captain Babar Azam faces criticism for reportedly showing bias towards his ‘friends’ in team selection for the World Cup. Additionally, concerns have been raised about his batting strategy and approach during matches in the T20 World Cup 2024.
