On Monday, the PCB’s much-maligned ‘connection camp’ came to a conclusion with what officials described as a road map for rescuing the game from its current state of despair.
The two national captains, Shan Masood and Babar Azam, as well as a number of other players had candid discussions regarding a lack of togetherness within the national squad, according to officials and the team management, which included both head coaches Jason Gillespie and Gary Kirsten.
The camp was set up during one of Pakistan’s darkest moments in history, when a string of catastrophic on-field outcomes was caused by administrative unrest. Pakistan has lost to USA in the T20 World Cup, Afghanistan in the ODI World Cup, and most recently, Bangladesh 2-0 in a home Test series.
Growing divisions inside the dressing room have been the subject of much speculation, beginning last year and intensifying this year with the selection and prompt dismissal of Shaheen Shah Afridi as Pakistan’s Twenty20 international captain and the reappointment of Babar Azam. When Kirsten, the white-ball coach, first started working there, he reportedly wasn’t prepared for how much of it there was.
Chief operating officer of the PCB Salman Naseer admitted that the talks had included talk of division, not just between the players and the board but also inside the team.
After the camp, Naseer told a news conference in Lahore, “The session was about this, that we openly and candidly accept and identify [issues] and ask for a commitment from each other, demand it, on how we can improve our performances and how we work together as a team.” “Our unanimous view was that we need to resolve this going forward and need to identify how we do it.”
Naseer stated that creating a “safe space” was crucial to encouraging people to open up, although she did not delve into the specifics of the conversations. However, there has also been growing hostility between the players and the board, particularly since several elite players were not allowed to play in leagues during the summer.
The board’s main justification for excluding Afridi, Babar, Mohammad Rizwan, and Naseem Shah from participating in leagues prior to the commencement of Pakistan’s home season was workload management.
“Our job is to listen and learn and look to implement ways where we can be more effective as players, as a team, and as coaches. What was really clear today was the pride the Pakistan players have in playing for Pakistan”
“When unity is discussed, it’s not just about the team,” Naseer said. It concerned how the management and staff could collaborate to carry out tasks more successfully. These undoubtedly came up during the conversations. We discussed workload management as well as planning.
“Everyone believes that both the management and player performances might be improved. The plan was to get together, discuss problems and potential improvements. What is our goal and how do we plan to achieve it?”
The more pressing issues facing Pakistan in the wake of the defeat by Bangladesh and with England about to arrive for a three-Test series in October are not said to have been discussed in the camp. In contrast to Chairman Mohsin Naqvi’s recent remarks on the subject, Kirsten, who has spent the last 12 days in Pakistan observing the Champions Cup, struck an optimistic tone when she praised the abundance of talent in Pakistan.
“I’ve been here the last 12 days or so watching the Champions Cup and have been really encouraged at the depth of quality of players in this tournament,” Kirsten stated. “Observing it has been wonderful. I’ve had a great time at the competition. The competition has been of a very high calibre. It’s been fantastic to watch so many young guys demonstrate their abilities.”
Gillespie said the conversations will go on. Since we’re fresh to the position, it’s our responsibility to pay attention, pick up new skills, and look for ways to improve as coaches, players, and teams. Today, it was quite evident how proud the Pakistani players are to represent their nation and how they hope to motivate it.
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Hearing that was so thrilling. The athletes are driven to succeed and show concern. We’ll do everything in our power to support one other as we travel this path together.”
India
