'PCB is a circus', Former Pakistan pacer slams board ahead of Champions Cup, England series

Former Pakistan cricketer Yasir Arafat has launched a scathing critique of the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) over what he describes as a poor scheduling decision. 

Arafat’s comments come in light of the PCB's plan to host the Champions One-Day Cup from September 12 to 29, just weeks before Pakistan's Test series against England, which begins on October 7.

The former all-rounder is particularly concerned about the timing of the domestic one-day tournament, given Pakistan's recent two-game Test series defeat to Bangladesh. 

"Your grey areas have been highlighted. Fitness issues, technique issues, and pitches. Today I heard Jason Gillespie and the high-performance coach are going back to Australia. You are conducting an ODI tournament. These decisions I don't understand. The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) is a circus. There are jokers in that, and this is a joke,” Arafat said. 

He also expressed frustration over the lack of first-class cricket played by Pakistan's players, referencing Shan Masood's recent statement about the absence of first-class matches for 1.5 years. 

"You have a Test series against England coming up, and you are bringing players for ODIs. Shan Masood is saying in a press conference that our players have not played first-class cricket for 1.5 years. You have a big series against England coming up, and you are playing ODIs. This looks like a circus to me. The people who are working are jokers, and their decisions are jokes," he said.

Pakistan's recent loss to Bangladesh has dropped them to eighth place in the World Test Championship standings. With only two wins out of seven matches and five consecutive Test losses, including defeats to Australia and Bangladesh, the team is under pressure to improve their performance ahead of the England series.