Former captain Misbah Ul Haq has accused the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) of ignoring his suggestion to reassess the national team’s spin bowling attack in the World Cup, following the insistence of captain Babar Azam and head coach Mickey Arthur. Pakistan, who had a slim chance of making it to the semi-finals, failed to progress into the final four for the third consecutive World Cup after England won the toss and chose to bat.
The performance of Pakistan’s spinners has been a cause for concern. Vice-captain and frontline spinner Shadab Khan has only taken two wickets in six matches, while part-timer Iftikhar Ahmed and youngster Usama Mir have had slightly better returns with four wickets each. Mohammad Nawaz, who has received consistent backing from the team management, has only managed to take two wickets in five matches of the league stage.
In a TV interview, Misbah revealed that the PCB chose to disregard his advice, as well as that of Mohammad Hafeez, regarding Pakistan’s spin attack for the World Cup. He had raised concerns about the form of Shadab Khan and Mohammad Nawaz even before the Asia Cup. Misbah, Hafeez, and Inzamam Ul Haq were appointed to the PCB’s technical committee to provide advice on cricket-related matters. Hafeez had resigned after Pakistan’s disappointing performance in the Asia Cup, where they failed to reach the final. Inzamam, who was also named the chief selector of Pakistan for the second time in August, stepped down in late October amid allegations of conflict of interest.
Misbah emphasized the importance of spinners in subcontinental conditions and suggested that the team management should take necessary steps to strengthen this aspect. However, he expressed disappointment that captain Babar and head coach Arthur did not value his inputs. They insisted on sticking with the same set of players and did not want to make any changes.
It is worth noting that leg break bowler Abrar Ahmed was among the travelling reserves for Pakistan but was never included in the squad.
