New Delhi: With their team out of the T20 World Cup, Pakistanis are now playing the blame game. Fans are blaming Babar Azam, he is blaming the players, and the coach is allegedly questioning team unity. Even former President Arif Alvi doesn’t want to miss out. And like most troubles in Pakistan today, he finds the Army responsible for the country’s defeat in the ICC tournament.
It all started when head coach Gary Kirsten allegedly criticised the Pakistan team over the lack of unity and basic cricketing skills. Soon, Alvi joined in the debate hinting how Gary’s criticism has now ensured his name is on Pakistan’s exit control list (ECL) with an FIR coming his way.
Though Kirsten never made a direct comment, it was reported by Pakistani media that he called out the team.
“There’s no unity in Pakistan’s team. They call it a team, but it isn’t a team. They aren’t supporting each other; everyone is separated, left and right. I’ve worked with many teams, but I’ve never seen such a situation,” former England captain Michael Vaughan posted this statement citing a sports website. However, Pakistani sports journalists called the news fake.
Alvi, however, chose to find humour in this controversy.
“We have information from credible sources (cipher) that cannot be revealed that he (Kirsten) is working under the direct influence of foreign interests against our ideology. The patron of the PCB has ordered immediate action that includes registration of FIRs in all the cricket playing centers of Pakistan and his name is put on the ECL,”Alvi wrote in a tweet.
However, he added at the end of the tweet that this is satire. “Do your best to salvage our beleaguered cricket team,” Alvi concluded.
He compared the state of Pakistan cricket to a similar decline seen in hockey, where the country had failed to qualify for the 2024 Paris Olympics for the third consecutive time.
Alvi also added that their last appearance was in 2012, where they finished 7th, but are currently ranked 16th in world rankings. A user replied, “Alvi uncle is not coming slow.” He doesn’t hold back.
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Lack of teamwork
While Alvi might have made the comment in jest, Pakistan Cricket team has been hammered with criticism following its disastrous performance.
In a separate tweet, Alvi criticised the team in strong words. He also called out the military influences on the team—the hybrid fitness training sessions— and said that the chiefs of sporting bodies lack merit.
“….We are in this miserable state not because of lack of raw talent, and my ears are sick of hearing this true phrase, but because the whole country is running on borrowed money, borrowed time, borrowed hybrid concepts (from Myanmar), borrowed ethics (from Gullu Butts) & borrowed justice from ‘Kangaroos’, he wrote.
Earlier, former cricketers such as Wasim Akram, Ahmed Shehzad, and Shoaib Akhtar among others have come down hard on the team. In a live analysis on Samaa TV on Monday, sports broadcaster Sawera Pasha and other panelists criticised the Pakistani batters and emphasised the need for introspection. Pasha also added that she is in complete solidarity with Kirsten because he did not get enough time to understand the dynamics of the team.
“The part of the world where he (Kirsten) comes from, they are used to being straight-forward in the way they talk to people, our country does not communicate that way. It might appear that there is friendship and unity in the team but the individualism and separation present in the team is quite visible,” she added.
Babar Azam had earlier faced criticism on similar lines after the team’s Ireland win. Azam led his team to a narrow victory against Ireland with an unbeaten 32 when the team was barely able to chase the target of 107. This was also the last match of the tournament for Pakistan.
He refused to take responsibility for the team’s shoddy performance.
“You are pointing out that [I am] the captain, but I cannot play in every player’s place. There are 11 players, and each of them has a role. That’s why they came here to play the World Cup. I think we have not been able to play well as a team. We have to settle down and accept that we didn’t play well as a team,” he said in a press conference.