LAHORE - Pakistan cricket team head coach Waqar Younis has lambasted at Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) Shaharyar Khan and Najam Sethi for letting him down.
Talking to the reporters here Wednesday, Waqar said he had told the PCB to keep his report of Pakistan team’s performance in World T20 in India confidential. “I personally submitted the report to PCB chairman Shaharyar Khan at his home and don’t know who leaked it. It seemed as if someone didn’t like my assessment report and it was made fun of.”
The head coach said PCB chairman Shaharyar Khan and executive committee head Najam Sethi didn’t bother to talk to him. “I had come here to meet them and was three doors away from them yet they didn’t even bother to meet me rather they were communicating through mobile phone. When I asked how the report got leaked, I faced humiliation only,” said angry Waqar.
He urged Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif to take notice of the plight of Pakistan cricket. “There is more politics in cricket than in parliament. This filth has to be cleaned from the sport. All PCB’s efforts regarding the inquiry are fake,” he added.
The ex-captain also has claimed that ‘a few individuals’ do not want to see Pakistani cricket progress. He says these people have ‘destroyed our cricket’. “Allah will take the decision over my fate, not these individuals. I am ready to go home but we have to make this sport right as this is the only one sport that brings happiness to the country.”
Speaking about internal matters of the PCB, Waqar said: “Internal matters are so bad that they need to be corrected on emergency basis. I have been saying it for two years but nobody is ready to listen,” he said and added: “People should be brought from abroad to make things right in PCB.”
About the meeting with 1992 World Cup winning skipper Imran Khan, head coach said: “Imran Khan is his mentor and he will keep on meeting with him and that ‘no one should be worried about that’.”
In his report, Waqar had highlighted the reasons behind Pakistan team’s failure in the World Twenty20. He was clearly not happy with the way the players had responded or shown improvement in their game.
While opening the Pandora box, the head coach alleged that star batsman M Hafeez kept secret his injury before World T20 which later cost the team dearly.
About Ahmad Shahzad and Umar Akmal, Waqar said: “I don’t know who is behind them who includes them in the team again and again. All the time, Umar Akmal managed to retain his place back in the team. Is this the criteria we are setting for the selection of a new player? Andrew Symonds was a very talented player for Australia or Kevin Pietersen for England but due to their behavior, they were dropped and never picked again irrespective of their talent.”
Criticizing the irresponsible attitude of Shahid Afridi in his report, Waqar said the T20 captain was not interested in Asia Cup and T20 World Cup and used to be absent from the team meetings and practices.
"We lost to New Zealand, Asia Cup and the World T20 due to poor captaincy. Over several occasions, I had made it clear that Shahid Afridi was not performing with the bat, ball or as a captain but I was not listened to. Poor tactics really cost us matches.”
The report further revealed that some players in the squad were not ready to co-operate with the coaching staff. He said they were also not able to implement the game plan given by the coach.
He further criticized former captain Moin Khan in his report saying Moin has badly ruined dressing room’s environment as he took gifts from the players and was also main person behind grouping in the team. “During 2015 World Cup and on the previous tour as well, Moin Khan used to take specific boys out till late night and also take them places to get free gifts which at times, undermined my authority. Umar Akmal continuously used to get Moin to request me for him, not to participate in training practice, similar to the incidents that took place with Imran Khan and also his ongoing whinging and complains with a number of other ex-players.”
"Moin and his wife were eventually caught at a casino in the early hours of a morning which eventually led to him being sacked and sent home in the middle or the tour. We cannot continue to allow incidents to occur to tarnish our image," the report revealed.
In response to Waqar’s allegation, PCB chairman Shahryar Khan said he was in a meeting that’s why he wasn’t able to meet the head coach. “When he came to meet me, I was in a very important meeting that is the reason why I asked him to meet me the next day,” the PCB chief said.
Shaharyar said that he didn’t want to indulge in political games. “Waqar told me on phone me that he respects me a lot and I never refused to meet him. Even Waqar himself had agreed to meet me tomorrow.”

THE RECOMMENDATIONS of Head Coach

n Head coach should be the part of selection committee
n Chief selector should be someone, who has played modern-era cricket and has a positive vision
n The selection criteria should include and emphasize fitness and fielding as the first priority
n Dietitians to be involved during all camps and junior tours
n NCA and other academies around the country need to become functional
n Domestic cricket needs to be restructured. Fewer teams to play first-class cricket to improve the standard
n The high performance manager's post needs to developed to oversee all performances of coaches, selectors, trainers
and physio at both international and domestic level
n Ex-players to be involved at the domestic level to help youngsters
n Emphasis on fielding and fitness at junior level
n Pakistan A tours need to be organised on a regular basis to groom youngsters and give them overseas exposure
n Selected players should be sent to various international academies to gain experience and exposure
n Players should be educated regarding maintaining confidentiality. "What is said in the dressing room, stays in the
dressing room."
n Bring in players who are proud of playing for Pakistan, not for themselves or for their own stature.