New Delhi: A two-minute audio clip has left Pakistani cricket fans agitated, revealing the wounds of their World Cup debacle in India and has brought back the captaincy debate. Was Babar Azam wronged when he was dropped from captaincy? That’s the question Pakistanis are asking and TV news is filled with experts giving their two cents.
In the audio, Pakistan Cricket Board chairman Zaka Ashraf is purportedly heard taking responsibility for the controversial decision to remove Azam after the World Cup. The conversation is supposedly taking place between Ashraf and his family members, where they are discussing the recent changes in the Pakistani cricket team.
After the World Cup tournament, Azam announced his decision to step down as captain from all formats. Immediately after, bowler Shaheen Shah Afridi and left-handed batter Shan Masood were appointed as T20 and Test captains, respectively.
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Captaincy conspiracy
Pakistani news reports claimed last month that Azam was offered Test captaincy but he refused.
Now, fans are concluding that the audio leak confirms the PCB chairman’s culpability in Babar’s fate. The audio, as reported by Dawn, features Ashraf saying that he had a Plan B in case Azam refused captaincy at the behest of Talha Rehmani, CEO of Saya Corporations which represents Azam and wicket-keeper-batter Mohammad Rizwan. Saya Corporations is a talent management and branding company that acts as the agent of sports players, organising their endorsements and their recruitment into teams.
The recording makes a recurring mention of Azam forming a close circle with his friends in the team. And Ashraf is heard saying that Rizwan was not chosen as the captain because he was too close to Azam and Rehmani. Earlier, former cricketer Inzamam Ul Haq had been embroiled in a controversy where he was accused of having a stake in Saya Corporations. It forced Haq to step down as the chief selector.
The audio also makes a passing mention of Virat Kohli, India’s former cricket captain. A voice, not Ashraf’s, is heard saying, “It’s okay, Kohli is also not captain of the team anymore but he’s still performing–he just broke Tendulkar’s record.”
While a Dawn report said there has been no official word from the PCB on the audio, news channels, and commentators have gone on to give their verdict.
Sawera Pasha, a sports journalist from Pakistan tweeted, said that PCB under Ashraf has “done more damage to Pakistan cricket than serving it”.
A commentator from Pakistan News, referring to Ashraf’s political allegiance to the Pakistan People’s Party, said, “Ever since PPP’s Ashraf has come, he has destroyed the Pakistan Cricket team.”
For fans though, it’s not just about exposing the PCB in the whole saga, it is also about the other players’ involvement. Fans who had earlier blamed Afridi and Masood for accepting the role of captaincy are now saying that “it is clear … they were not involved in the conspiracy against Babar.”
Samaa TV, however, pointed out that the decision to oust Azam cannot be attributed to Ashraf alone. “If Babaz Azam was indeed removed from captaincy, it was due to the performance of the Pakistani cricket team,” said a commentator on the news channel.