Pakistan Cricket Board initiates disciplinary inquiry amid squad overhaul

Pakistan's Babar Azam celebrates after taking a catch to dismiss England's Ben Duckett during the second Test at the Lord's against England. (AP)

NEW DELHI: The ghost of match-fixing has returned to haunt the Pakistan cricket team and the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) during the ongoing three-match Test series against England. After losing the second Test by 194 runs at Lord's, PCB decided to drop Mohammad Rizwan, Salman Ali Agha, Imam-ul-Haq, Ali Usman, Khurram Shahzad, Aamir Jamal and Muhammad Awais Zafar. Sarfaraz Ahmed, the head coach, and Umar Gul, the bowling coach, were also released from their duties. In their place, seven players have been drafted into the squad, including five yet to make their international debuts. The two capped players are batters Saim Ayub and Abdullah Fazal, while the uncapped group comprises pace-bowling all-rounders Razaullah Khan and Mohammad Imran, left-arm spinner Arafat Minhas, wicketkeeper Saad Baig and left-arm pacer Mohammad Imran Junior. It has been learnt that the drastic changes being made within Pakistan cricket were driven by reasons that were “more than cricket” and not merely a fallout of the team's dismal performances. We have reached out to the concerned parties for a comment, including hosts the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) and PCB. More than 72 hours later, we received no response. However, Amir Mir, PCB's Director Media and Digital Communications, issued a public statement: "The Pakistan Cricket Board has initiated an internal disciplinary inquiry following media reports concerning discipline and conduct, which are currently being reviewed internally. The PCB handles such matters in accordance with its standard procedures. The process is being conducted under PCB regulations, ensuring that all concerned individuals are given due consideration." According to Pakistani outlet 365 News, the players' devices have been handed over to the PCB and will remain in the board's custody until the conclusion of the final Test. The report did not disclose the identities of the players whose phones were confiscated, while the PCB has not publicly explained why the devices were taken into custody.

"Every match of a series is important for us and we are not left with any option if a player is not performing but to look for his replacement. The purpose behind these changes is not to axe players from contention, but just to replace them."

Mohsin Naqvi | PCB Chairman

A couple of days after making sweeping changes to the squad, PCB Director of High Performance Aaqib Javed launched a scathing attack on opening batter Imam-ul-Haq, who suffered a low-grade calf tear at Lord's. Aaqib criticised Imam for not batting in either innings of the Lord's Test and vowed to “take action” against him. "The Imam injury is a big question mark, and a deep disappointment. Players in the past used to get injuries, but they used to put on casts and still tried to play. We'll take action against this. How is it possible that a pulled muscle ruled you out of batting in both innings? He should have tried and fought. He'll have to face an inquiry; I can't say he faked it, but a muscle pull like that cannot stop you from batting altogether," Aaqib said in an interview with Pakistan broadcast network Geo.

Aqib had also defended the number of changes that were made mid-series. "The message we're sending to the recalled players is that you have to raise your game on important tours and compete, and we should be able to see some effort," he said. PCB Chairman Mohsin Naqvi echoed Aaqib Javed's sentiments and defended their knee-jerk reaction in a vociferous manner. "Every match of a series is important for us and we are not left with any option if a player is not performing but to look for his replacement. The purpose behind these changes is not to axe players from contention, but just to replace them," Naqvi told Geo Network. Incidentally, Lord's was the venue for one of the biggest spot-fixing scandal in cricket and it involved the Pakistan cricket team. Then, captain Salman Butt, Mohammad Asif and Mohammad Amir were handed prison sentences and banned for taking bribes from a bookmaker to deliberately bowl no-balls at certain pre-aranged moments during the Test match in 2010.