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Former Pakistan cricketer Tanvir Ahmed has sharply criticized the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) and Chairman Mohsin Naqvi, questioning their decision to send Wahab Riaz to a coaching workshop in Maldives. He ridiculed the board’s statement about ‘performing surgery’ on the team following their disappointing campaign in the T20 World Cup 2024.
Pakistan’s performance in the T20 World Cup 2024 was dismal, with the Babar Azam-led team exiting in the group stage after losses to the United States of America and the Indian National Cricket Team. This failure led to widespread criticism not only of the team but also of the management and the PCB itself, highlighting significant turmoil within Pakistan cricket.
In response to the team’s disappointing World Cup performance, Chairman Mohsin Naqvi announced plans to overhaul the squad, leading to the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) dismissing selectors Wahab Riaz and Abdul Razzaq. The authority was transferred to head coaches Gary Kirsten and Jason Gillespie in a bid to revamp team strategy.
Furthermore, the PCB declined NOCs for Naseem Shah, Babar Azam, Shaheen Afridi, and Mohammad Rizwan to participate in overseas leagues, focusing instead on grassroots development initiatives to bolster cricket within the country. Amidst these changes, uncertainty looms over Babar Azam’s role in the leadership structure, particularly in Tests, as no decision has been made regarding his return to captaincy in white-ball cricket.
In a proactive move, the PCB also announced plans to send Wahab Riaz and Shahid Anwar to a workshop in Maldives aimed at enhancing their ability to identify and nurture talent at grassroots levels, underscoring their commitment to long-term cricket development.
“The ICC will hold a two-day High-Performance workshop in Maldives on 29-30 July. Former Test cricketer Wahab Riaz and former international cricketer Shahid Anwar (head coach of National Cricket Academy) will participate in the workshop.
“The workshop is designed to provide participants with information on the latest coaching techniques as well as on how to identify and develop talent from the grassroots level.”
Taking to his Twitter account, Tanvir Ahmed didn’t hold back in criticizing the Pakistan Cricket Board for sending Wahab Riaz to a workshop in the Maldives, describing the move as futile given Riaz’s purported lack of cricketing acumen. Ahmed’s comments also derided the board’s approach to team restructuring, which he mockingly referred to as “surgery.”
“Wahab Riaz kia baat ha O coaching experience jis ko bowling ka bilkul idea nahi ha woh Maldives ja raha ha. Ye-ha Pakistan Cricket Board ki surgery. (“Wahab Riaz has zero coaching experience and has no idea about bowling is being sent to Maldives. This is Pakistan Cricket Board’s surgery.”)
