Pakistan Blind Cricket Council (PBCC) has set a four-member committee to probe in national team’s dismal performance against India in the ODI and Twenty-20 series held at Chennai this month.
India’s blind cricket team beat Pakistan both in the Twenty-20 and ODI series. The committee comprises Imran Ahmad Sheikh as chairman while members include Tariq Mehmood Awan, Bilal Satti and Yousaf Haroon. Talking to APP, Syed Sultan Shah, Chairman PBCC and senior vice-president of the World Blind Cricket Council said, “The committee will submit its report to PBCC on April 16. We never lost to any team so poorly. I am really disappointed with the team’s poor show.”
Sultan blamed the aging players and their physical fitness for the national team’s defeat against India.
“Some players in the team are getting old and are not physically up to the mark,” he mentioned.
Sultan said a lot of changes are expected in the team before the Blind Cricket World Cup to be played in December this year at Bangalore, India.
“We won’t be including the aging players in the team and instead young players would be given the chance,” Sultan said adding that Masood Jan, Muhammad Fayaz, Muhammad Shahbaz and Ch. Muhammad Mudassar’s future to be named in the World Cup squad is at stake.
“Anees Javed’s performance wasn’t up to the mark in the recent tour to India and he too would have to earn his name in the mega event’s squad,” he said.
Sultan further pointed at the team’s poor running between the wickets in the series against India and said there are chances that Abdul Razzaq won’t lead the team in the World Cup.
“He isn’t performing well and he will have to earn his name in the team now,” Sultan concluded.
However Pakistan blind cricket team captain Abdul Razzaq has said he would retire after this year’s World Cup. “I would run an academy for blind cricketers at Lahore after my retirement. I want to give youngsters a chance to come up and play after my retirement,” he said.
