ISLAMABAD - Former Pakistan Cricket Board chief selector and head coach Mohsin Hassan Khan has came down hard on Pakistan Cricket Board and team management for pathetic performances during the Asia Cup 2018.

Talking to The Nation, Mohsin said: “I am disappointed the way the PCB management destroyed Pakistan cricket team. I have coached the same players and I know very well that they are world beaters and capable of thrashing any given opponent, if they are coaches and trained accordingly.”

“I want answers of a few questions. First of all I want to ask chief selector Inzamamul Haq that why he had dropped senior players like M Hafeez, Azhar Ali and Kamran Akmal, who could prove very beneficial on UAE pitches and could help the team record crucial victories. I think this is main blunder due to which Pakistan team is suffering a lot during the Asian Games.

“Secondly, Sarfraz captaincy is highly pathetic and he is not been able to utilise his options well. His body language is more than enough to show that he is completely out of sorts. Being a captain, he must lead the team from the front and try to motivate the players to deliver,” he added.

Mohsin said the green caps entered the entire tournament without any game plan and were simply outclassed by India twice. “I am surprised to see that a world class bowler like Junaid Khan is sitting out and M Aamir is being presented as holy cow. What are his performances so far ever since he has made comeback in the national team after his ban was lifted,” he questioned.

The former cricketer said that another blunder of PCB management was to pick up six pacers for UAE pitches and didn’t pay heed towards the conditions. “The chief selector should have picked three spinners Shahdab Khan, Hafeez and M Nawaz while the captain can utilize experienced Shoaib Malik as an all-rounder.”

He also raised a question regarding selection of Imam-ul-Haq as specialist opener. “Everyone knows that Fakhar is a natural striker of cricket ball and can rattle any bowling attack with his aggressive batting, but he needs a cool-headed partner like Azhar Ali. If Imam was to be with the team, he should be used as third choice. I used to have five additional players, which used to give me more options, rather than putting pressure on a few ones.

“If I were the coach of the team, I would have not included Asif in my team, as one needs to understand that it is not 20-over game, rather it’s 50-over format which needs stamina and patience. The more you stay at the crease, the better results you get. When the team is under pressure and having a player like Asif in the side, then skipper must use his brain and in difficult situations, he must promote the hard-hitter up the order to get quick 30 plus runs, which not only reduces the pressure, but also put the opposition under pressure,” he added.

Mohsin said that despite losing both the crucial matches against India, the team management never paid any heed towards making plans, which shows how much they know about cricket. “Shoaib Malik is experienced and most perfect link, but he was not utilized, the way he should have been. Shaheen Shah is future of Pakistan cricket. He was smashed for runs in the last match, but his confidence was very low. He must be given matches to give him confidence, no matter even he was hit for a few runs, he is bound to take wickets.”

He said that it wasn’t great Indian batting or bowling, but it was poor fielding and ill planning of Pakistan team management, which resulted in humiliating losses at the hands of arch-rivals. “The team has dropped catches and then never bothered to improve them in this particular field, which cost the team dearly.

“Now we need to play with aggressive frame of mind to counter opponents. Until and unless the team management changes its attitude and right combination is not selected, such results are bound to come thick and fast,” Mohsin concluded.