The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) has firmly refuted recent media speculations suggesting internal issues within the Pakistan men's cricket team who are currently competing in the ICC World Cup 2023 being held in India.
In an official statement, the PCB clarified, “The Pakistan Cricket Board strongly denies recent speculations about any internal discord in the national cricket team currently participating in the ICC World Cup 2023.”
They expressed disappointment over the spread of such unfounded news and stressed the significance of maintaining journalistic integrity. “Contrary to rumours circulated by a certain section of the media, the PCB unequivocally assures that the team is cohesive and there is no evidence to support these unsubstantiated claims.
“The PCB is disappointed by the dissemination of this false news and emphasises the importance of upholding journalistic ethics before spreading such allegation,” read the full statement.
Pakistan have lost two of their four matches in the ongoing World Cup as they face Afghanistan in theri fixture in Chennai, Pakistan's skipper Babar Azam chose to bat first against their subcontinental rivals.
With two victories and two losses from their four matches, Pakistan re-introduced Shadab Khan into the lineup, with the all-rounder replacing Mohammad Nawaz after he was suffering from illness.
Pakistan began their World Cup campaign with triumphs over the Netherlands and a historic run chase against Sri Lanka. Yet, they encountered a hurdle when they lost to their long-time rivals, India, by seven wickets in a much-anticipated clash in Ahmedabad on October 14. After this loss, Pakistan faced another uphill battle against Australia in Bengaluru on October 20, failing to chase down a massive 368-run target.
In the game against Australia, Pakistan's opening batter Imam-ul-Haq and Abdullah Shafique both hit half-centuries but couldn't capitalise on their starts. Captain Babar Azam's form has also raised concerns.
Meanwhile, Afghanistan currently sits at the lower end of the points table, having secured only one victory from their four matches in the tournament. However, that one victory was a historic one against defending champions England.
Teams:
Pakistan
Imam-ul-Haq, Abdullah Shafique, Babar Azam (capt), Mohammad Rizwan (wkt), Saud Shakeel, Iftikhar Ahmed, Shadab Khan, Usama Mir, Shahen Shah Afridi, Hasan Ali, Haris Rauf
Afghanistan
Rahmanullah Gurbaz, Ibrahim Zadran, Rahmat Shah, Hashmatullah Shahidi (capt), Azmatullah Omarzai, Ikram Alikhil (wkt), Mohammad Nabi, Rashid Khan, Mujeeb Ur Rahman, Naveen-ul-Haq, Noor Ahmad
MORE ON SPORTS TAK
SMAT 2023: Tilak Varma dazzles with spectacular 69-ball 121-run knock, takes runs tally to 271 in 5 innings
England announces inexperienced bowler as Reece Topley's replacement for the remainder of ODI World Cup
IND vs NZ: Rohit Sharma reacts to Virat Kohli's match-winning knock in typical 'Hitman' style
