Pakistan’s disastrous performance at the International ICC Women’s T20 World Cup was reportedly compounded by divisions and tensions within the squad, with media reports claiming there was friction between the players and the team management.According to reports in Pakistani media and discussions on social media, divisions have emerged within the camp after a series of poor results. The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) has neither confirmed nor denied the reports.Pakistan suffered their fourth consecutive defeat as they were knocked out by Australia by 113 runs at Headingley in Leeds on Tuesday. The team is yet to register a win since arriving in Ireland ahead of the World Cup and was also winless in Ireland’s three-match series against the West Indies ahead of the World Cup.According to news agency PTI, there are major differences between the team’s mentor and the unofficial head coach Wahab Riaz Discuss options with captain Fatima Sana. A report claimed that Sana objected to senior player Alia Riaz’s husband staying in her hotel room ahead of a match against Bangladesh, leading to him being asked to leave.“At Sana’s insistence, Ali Younis was asked to vacate the room. Then, the day before the game against Bangladesh, Alia and her husband went sightseeing while the team was scheduled to train,” a report said.The same report further claimed that Sana wanted Alia to withdraw from the Bangladesh team but Wahab insisted on choosing her. Following the defeat, Sana reportedly accused Wahab of not enforcing disciplinary standards.
Fatima Sana admits Pakistan plays ‘worst cricket’
Amid speculation off the field, skipper Fatima Sana candidly admitted the team’s struggles following the humiliating defeat to Australia.“I think we played our worst cricket in this game and as a team we need to accept that. We need to go back, reflect and improve ourselves,” Sana said after the game.Despite the disappointing season, Sana found Pakistan’s preparations ahead of the tournament to be encouraging.“Personally, I think we had a lot of good practice before we got here, but we still need a response from the team. That’s what we need now. Otherwise, we had some really good practice and preparation,” she said.The captain also praised the bowling team, especially the spin team Sandhu Publishing and Sadiya Iqbal.“I thought our bowling was really good, especially the way we started. Nashla and Sadia bowled really well, which was fantastic. We just needed more players to support them because we weren’t doing well in other areas. We have good players who can perform well, but we need everyone to contribute more,” she said.Pakistan also finished last at last year’s 50-over World Cup and will now hope to salvage some pride against the Netherlands in their final Group A match.
