The Babar Azam-led Pakistan cricket team did not live up to expectations in the recently-concluded Asian Cup 2023. It was a great chance for the 1992 Cricket World Cup champions to prepare for the 2023 edition, but the side were knocked out of the Super 4 stage. Despite having played in Sri Lanka extensively, where most of the match of the Asia Cup were played, before the continental event, Pakistan could not qualify for the final. They lost to India too in a Super 4 match. The Pakistan Cricket Board conducted a review of the performance recently.
According to a report by Cricket Pakistan, the meeting was presided over by Zaka Ashraf, the chairman of the PCB management committee. Pakistan captain Babar Azam, head coach Grant Bradburn and members of the technical cricket committee Misbah-ul-Haq and Mohammad Hafeez were also present. Team director Mickey Arthur and vice-captain Shadab Khan also joined the discussion.
In the meeting, according to the report, "Misbah-ul-Haq and Mohammad Hafeez conscientiously highlighted the shortcomings exhibited by the Pakistani team during the Asia Cup and posed several pertinent questions to the management."
Interestingly, soon after, Hafeez resigned. he announced the decision via a post on X. "I decided to leave Pakistan cricket technical committee. I served as honorary member. I would like to thank Zaka Ashraf sb for giving me this opportunity. I m always available whenever Zaka Ashraf sb need my honest suggestions for Pakistan cricket. My best wishes for Pakistan cricket as always. Pakistan Zindabad," he posted.
"The philosophy behind this review was to create an atmosphere of open discussion and develop consensus," PCB chairman of the management committee Zaka Ashraf said in a statement. "The idea is to have everyone on board and debate about performances, identifying the problems and their solutions." The review meeting was also attended by head coach Mickey Arthur, captain Babar Azam, vice-captain Shadab Khan and former skippers Misbah-ul-Haq and Mohammad Hafeez. Dr Sohail Saleem briefed about the players' injuries and "the way forward for players' rehabilitation programs," the PCB said. Pakistan pacers Naseem Shah and Haris Rauf both suffered injuries during their rain-marred clash against India in Colombo, with the former under doubt to play the World Cup. Listen to the latest songs, only on JioSaavn.com "In a robust analysis, every aspect of recent team performance, player fitness, and future plans came into discussion with a view to bringing improvement to the side," the release said. "There was an agreement on making a better approach and strategy on players' workload. The importance of strengthening the bench was also emphasized," it added.