New Delhi: For Pakistan’s cricket team, the trip to Clarence House came at an awkward time. Seven players had just been sent home, coaches had been sacked, and the team was reeling from two Test defeats. Yet, amid the turmoil, even the players dropped from the squad were told to turn up to meet King Charles III.
The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) had reportedly ordered players who were no longer part of the touring squad to attend Wednesday’s event at Clarence House, amid concerns that a low turnout could prove embarrassing for the board.
Four of the players who had been sent home, Ali Usman, Aamir Jamal, Khurram Shahzad and Muhammad Awais Zafar, attended the meeting. A fifth player refused to go, reportedly in protest against the way he had been treated, The Telegraph reported.
Uncomfortable formalities
The event came just days after the PCB made sweeping changes to the squad following Pakistan’s defeats to England at Lord’s and Headingley. Seven players and several coaches were let go, while replacements were yet to arrive.
With the team already depleted, the PCB was concerned that too few players at the high-profile royal engagement could draw unwanted attention.
King Charles spoke to the players and officials and encouraged the Pakistan side during what has been a turbulent tour. Pakistan captain Babar Azam presented him with a signed cricket bat, while PCB chairman Mohsin Naqvi, who is also Pakistan’s interior and narcotics control minister, presented the King with another gift.
Naqvi later described the meeting as positive and cordial, saying the King had praised Pakistan’s efforts toward peace.
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Turbulent times
Such meetings are a customary part of overseas cricket tours, with visiting teams often meeting a member of the British royal family or the Prime Minister while in the UK.
The royal engagement, however, came against the backdrop of an increasingly troubled Pakistan tour. Pakistan had threatened not to return to the field after lunch on the first day of the Lord’s Test if Sky Sports aired an interview with the sons of former Pakistan captain and prime minister Imran Khan. Pakistan eventually returned to the field, and then lost the Test match. The defeat was followed by the removal of seven players and coaches.
New Zealander Mike Hesson has since been brought in to oversee the rest of the series after head coach Sarfaraz Ahmed was sacked.
(Edited by Ratan Priya)