Unrest in the dressing room is nothing new for Pakistan cricket, and it appears that all is not well in the Pakistan dressing room once again. Just before the World Cup, the Pakistan team is grabbing the headlines for all the wrong reasons.
Not very long ago, Pakistan were considered as hot favorites for the World Cup and everything was going well for them. But things have gone only downhill in the last week or so. It all began with the humiliating 228-run defeat against India in the Asia Cup. During the game, Naseem Shah, Haris Rauf and Agha Salman suffered injuries too and missed the do-or-die match against Sri Lanka.
Naseem Shah is now doubtful for the World Cup too and is unlikely to recover in time for the tournament after suffering a shoulder injury. Pakistan also lost to Sri Lanka and crashed out of the Asia Cup at the Super 4 stage. Following the elimination, reports suggested that Babar Azam and Shaheen Afridi were involved in a verbal spat in the dressing room.
As per reports in Pakistani media, Babar Azam was angrily confronting the players in the dressing room after the defeat when Shaheen Afridi expressed his displeasure. But before things could get out of control, Mohammad Rizwan intervened.
The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) is reportedly surprised over the dressing room leaks. And according to a report in Cricket Pakistan, opening batsman Imam-ul-Haq is under the scanner. The left-handed batsman Imam-ul-Haq is reportedly involved in leaking the dressing room secrets. The PCB could take action against Imam if he is indeed found guilty.
The PCB officials are also surprised with Imam-ul-Haq becoming unfit on important occasions. In the Asia Cup, he registered scores of 5, 78, and 9 before missing the huge game against Sri Lanka. The report further stated that the players’ performance was also affected due to conflicts regarding the central contract.
Pakistan will now be looking to bounce back in the upcoming World Cup. The Men in Green have not won the World Cup since 1992 and will be desperate to go all the way. The World Cup is scheduled to be played from October 5 to November 19.
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