Pakistan cricket team is in complete dissarray at the moment after two successive defeats in the ongoing ICC World Cup 2023 in India. According to a Cricbuzz report, the team is divided into two groups. Shaheen Afridi, purportedly leading one of the factions, has challenged the leadership of Babar Azam.After Pakistan’s exit from Asia Cup 2023, reports of an altercation between Shaheen Afridi and Babar Azam picked the pace. According to reports, Pakistan captain Babar Azam was furious with his players after team’s loss against Sri Lanka and gave an earful to his teammates.“Khud ko zyada superstars na samjhein, World Cup sir pe hai. Agar hum ek hokar khelte toh match jeet sakte the (Don’t think of yourselves as superstars, the World Cup is almost upon us. We could have won the match if we played as a team),” Babar reportedly told his teammates. However, Shaheen Afridi intervened and suggested the skipper to at least appreciate those players who played well to which Babar responded by saying that he is aware of “who’s performing well” and “who are not”.
The talk of groupism has become so intense that the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) chairman Zaka Ashraf felt compelled to address the issue. He called a visiting journalist in Chennai, to deny the talk of internal rift. Subsequently, the PCB issued an official statement. "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. 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 statement, released while the was in action against Afghanistan on Monday, stated. "The PCB is disappointed by the dissemination of this false news and emphasises the importance of upholding journalistic ethics before spreading such allegations," the statement further emphasized. Reports suggest that Shaheen Afridi has the support of a few players, including Mohammad Rizwan and Imam-ul-Haq. Pakistan won their first two games to break into the top four on the points table but have dropped down to fifth after the defeats. They are currently facing Afghanistan in a crucial clash at the MA Chidambaram Stadium in Chennai.
