London [UK], September 8 (ANI): As Pakistan cricket plunged into crisis after seven players were released and coaches Sarfaraz Ahmed and Umar Gul were removed ahead of the third Test at Edgbaston, skipper Babar Azam said the PCB’s decision came as "news" to him and that he learned about it only afterwards.
He also stressed that the PCB would be in a better position to explain the decision, which he believed was taken after due consideration.
Mohammad Rizwan, Imam-ul-Haq, Salman Agha, Ali Usman, Aamer Jamal, Awais Zafar and Khurram Shahzad were among the players released from the squad.
"It was news to me. I found out after. The PCB decided it, so they'll be able to explain better. The PCB's decision must have been taken after some thought process. It's better if you ask them why,' Azam told the reporters ahead of the Edgbaston Test, as per Cricinfo.
Following Pakistan’s 194-run defeat to England at Lord’s, which left them trailing 2-0 in the three-match series, high-performance director Aaqib Javed strongly criticised the team’s selection decisions and raised concerns over the composition of the side.
However, Azam defended Pakistan’s selection decisions, saying the team chose its playing XIs based on their assessment of the pitch and conditions at the time. He acknowledged that the team failed to deliver the expected results and performances, but maintained that the selections were made with the team’s best interests in mind.
"We didn't play well in all three facets as a team," he said. "And when you don't get results, then you'll get plenty of criticism from outside. But we did what we thought was best at the time. The way we read the pitch and conditions, the XIs we went with were what we thought was best at the time. But we did not get the results or performance we expected of ourselves."
Azam urged Pakistan to play with freedom and confidence in the third and final Test match despite having already lost the series. He said the team had used the practice sessions to prepare the new players and expressed hope that their enthusiasm would translate into a strong performance.
"The series is lost, but we have nothing to lose. We should play freely and believe in ourselves as a team. We've practised a couple of days and explained things to the new boys. Any young player who comes in is excited, and that excitement is visible. I believe that will be visible in the match, too," he concluded.
PCB on Monday also confirmed that an internal disciplinary inquiry had been started after reports about "discipline and conduct" following media allegations that investigations between batters Imam ul Haq and Mohammed Rizwan had widened.
As per a statement from PCB media director Amir Mir, the board is reviewing matters related to "discipline and conduct" internally, and the process was being done as per its regulations.
"The PCB has initiated an internal disciplinary inquiry following media reports concerning discipline and conduct, which are currently being reviewed internally,” he said as quoted by Dawn. (ANI)
"It was news to me": Skipper Babar Azam on Pakistan's wholesale squad changes
