Selecting ‘unfit’ players in World Cup led to Arthur’s ouster

Mickey Arthur’s casual attitude towards Men in Green’s fitness during the 2019 International Cricket Council (ICC) World Cup was one of the major reasons behind his exit as the Pakistan head coach.

According to sources, during the 55th Board of Governors (BOG) meeting in Lahore on Friday, the Pakistan Cricket Board’s (PCB’s) Chief Executive Officer (CEO) Wasim Khan rued the fitness levels of the Men in Green’s skipper Sarfaraz Ahmed along with several other players which affected the team’s performance in the recently concluded mega event.

The CEO further added that Arthur was aware of the fact that some players do not meet the fitness standards required in international cricket, yet he selected them in the World Cup squad. 

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On the other hand, the new domestic structure was expected to be up for fiery debate in the BOG meeting. However, none of the members raised any objections regarding the structure which indicates that regions believe any attempt to question it would be futile.

Hence, the PCB’s Director Domestic Cricket Haroon Rasheed finished his presentation on the new domestic set-up in around 10 minutes, without any questions asked.