Pakistan cricket has been embroiled in controversy in the T20 Asia Cup 2025. Following the handshake snub from Suryakumar Yadav-led India, Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) demanded match referee Andy Pycroft to be sacked. When met with ICC’s refusal, they released a video claiming Pycroft has apologised to Pakistan captain. Amidst all drama, Pakistan’s batting has been under heavy criticism. Their inability to score quickly has been evident. As a result, ahead of their Super 4 match against India, PCB has appointed a psychologist to deal with stress related to matters other than cricket affecting their mindset.
However, former PCB chief Najam Sethi believes that players are not open to the idea of talking to a psychologist as it is still considered a taboo.
“I tried for it [Having a psychiatrist] during my tenure. But, players here don’t really accept such things, because in our culture therapy is often misunderstood. Going to a psychiatrist is considered a sign of weakness or even madness, which creates stigma," Sethi told Samaa TV.
PCB chief on language barrier
Not just the mindset against therapy, PCB chief said that the language barrier is an issue as well. He feels that a psychiatrist cannot help the players get better overnight.
“Mental health, however, is a broader concept. Unfortunately, here it is only reduced to: “Are you crazy or not?"
“But the most interesting factor here is, many of these experts are foreign-qualified. They communicate in English which isn’t the language of our boys. They are required to be told in Urdu or Pashto.
“Their backgrounds, their class, and the lack of proper education is another issue. Psychiatrist bhi raato raat unko kuch nahi seekha sakta (A psychiatrist can’t help them overnight)," Sethi added.
Rauf over Muqeem for Super 4 clash
In their group stage clash, Pakistan lost to India by seven wickets. Had it not been for Shaheen Afridi’s cameo, they wouldn’t have been able to post a total of 127/9. For UAE clash, they brought back Haris Rauf in the team instead of left-arm chinaman bowler Sufiyaan Muqeem. Rauf is likely to retain his place in the playing eleven for India clash as well.