Zaka Ashraf, the former chairman of the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB), has vehemently denied the existence of any factions within the national team. His comments come in response to accusations that his decision to appoint Shaheen Shah Afridi as the T20 captain and Shan Masood as the Test captain after the 2022 ODI World Cup had caused a rift in the dressing room. Ashraf, who held the PCB chairmanship from June to January 2023, insists that the team’s unity remained strong, even after the captaincy changes.
“There were no differences between Babar Azam or Shaheen even after I decided to have the latter as the T20 captain,” Ashraf stated on a local news channel. He went on to emphasize that the team’s unity actually improved after Babar was removed as captain. “No, the unity didn’t end (after removing Babar Azam as captain). In fact, the unity improved. When we told him to play as a player, which is his talent, but as a captain, his performance is not good, he agreed.”
Ashraf’s claims come amidst a period of uncertainty and change for the Pakistani cricket team. Shaheen was removed as the national T20I captain after just a series in New Zealand and was subsequently dropped for the second Test against Bangladesh due to poor form. New PCB Chairman Mohsin Naqvi restored Babar to the T20I captaincy, a move that has been met with mixed reactions. Babar himself has been struggling for form and received heavy criticism following Pakistan’s disappointing performance in the T20 World Cup earlier this year.
Ashraf also defended his decision to appoint Masood and Mohammad Hafeez as the team director. He highlighted Hafeez’s integrity and described Masood’s captaincy in English county cricket as a testament to his leadership abilities. “Hafeez is ‘a very honest man’ and no, there was no grouping. The team was good. And, we brought Shan Masood as the captain. He was a very good captain. He is still a very good player. He is still a captain in England’s counties. And, I made Shaheen Shah the captain of the T20I team. That was also a very good decision,” he asserted.
Ashraf maintained that bringing in Hafeez as team director was a sound decision, citing his experience and character. “Mohammad Hafeez is an excellent cricketer and a very honest person, we brought him along. Umar Gul, Saeed Ajmal, and these players, we brought them along so that the coaching staff is with the team,” he added.
