Sarfaraz Nawaz criticizes PCB, calls for key players in T20 World Cup squad

Former Pakistan cricketer Sarfaraz Nawaz has expressed his concerns about the Pakistan cricket team's preparation and strategy for the ongoing T20 World Cup 2024 being co-hosted by the USA and West Indies. 

In an exclusive interview with Cricket Pakistan, Nawaz pointed out several areas where he believes the team needs significant improvement.

"The matches we have seen in England and before that in Ireland, it is evident that the Pakistan team urgently needs to work hard, especially in fielding. You can see that the fielding has not been up to the mark, and in T20 matches, fielding plays a significant role. Also, the performance of the middle-order batting is not clear from the start, and even the openers' performance is not guaranteed. Looking at all this, I would say that the current planning of the Pakistan team doesn't seem very impressive to me. They also seem to have missed the mark in developing the right combination, as they kept trying different players, bringing some in and dropping others. Instead of developing a regular combination, they are stuck in experiments," Sarfaraz said.

The former pacer did not shy away from criticizing the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) and their selection decisions. He highlighted the role of the decision-makers and urged the PCB chairman to grant full authority to Pakistan skipper Babar Azam for making certain decisions.

"Wahab Riaz also doesn't have much experience, and the group of seven individuals who are currently involved here or wherever they go, in my opinion, the PCB chairman should separate them and give all responsibilities to the captain and tell him to do whatever he needs to because this group of seven doesn't understand things as much as he has been captaining for four years, and he knows better," he said.

Nawaz proposed a more efficient method regarding wicketkeeping, advocating for Mohammad Rizwan to assume complete responsibility as the team's dedicated wicketkeeper.

He also mentioned a few names of players whom he believes should have been part of the national team squad for the mega-event, considering their roles and performances.

"You have three wicketkeepers: Usman can also do wicketkeeping, Azam is there, and you have Rizwan as well. You should have Rizwan do regular wicketkeeping; he should be the regular keeper. Besides this, you can add another batsman in the middle order. Salman Ali Agha, you have dropped him from the team, but in my opinion, he was the best fit for the middle order," he said.

"Azam Khan is there due to favouritism; what can we do when there's favouritism here and there? Nadeem Khan, the Director of Sports, is also involved. These kinds of favouritism should not have been there from the start. I would say that Sahibzada Farhan should have been in the team; he was the most deserving. Then, in Australia, you took an all-rounder, Aamer Jamal. Why didn't you develop him? He gave such a good performance there, and he can bowl with good speed and bat bravely. He could have been a match-winner. I am surprised that you are choosing only two all-rounders: Shadab and Imad. If you think having just two all-rounders is enough, then the team cannot run like this," he concluded.