Selection row, disciplinary problems and four defeats: Pakistan’s T20 World Cup campaign in crisis

Pakistan captain Fatima Sana (ANI Photo) The disastrous ICC Women’s T20 World Cup campaign in Pakistan has reportedly been compounded by internal dissension and a tense atmosphere in the team, with the media citing alleged friction between the players and the team management.According to reports in the Pakistani media and discussions on social media, there was dissension in the camp after a string of poor results. The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) has neither confirmed nor denied the reports.Pakistan slumped to their fourth straight defeat in the tournament after suffering a crushing 113-run loss to Australia at Headingley in Leeds on Tuesday. The side are yet to record a win since arriving in Ireland ahead of the World Cup and also went winless during the tri-series involving Ireland and the West Indies prior to the tournament.According to news agency PTI, reports claimed that there were major disagreements between team mentor and unofficial head coach Wahab Riaz and captain Fatima Sana over the selection. One report claimed that before the Bangladesh match, Sana objected to senior player Aaliya Riaz’s husband staying in her hotel room, leading to him being asked to leave.“On Sana’s insistence, Ali Younis was asked to leave the room. A day before the match against Bangladesh, Aaliya and her husband went on a city tour when the team was scheduled to practice,” said one report.The same reports further claimed that Sana wanted Aaliya out of the Bangladesh game, but Wahab insisted on her selection. After the defeat, Sana reportedly accused Wahab of not enforcing disciplinary norms.

Fatima Sana admits Pakistan played ‘worst cricket’

Amid off-field speculation, captain Fatima Sana has openly admitted her side’s struggles following their heavy defeat to Australia.“I think we just played our worst cricket in this match and as a whole team we have to accept that. We have to go back and reflect and improve,” Sana said after the match.Despite the disappointing campaign, Sana felt Pakistan’s pre-tournament preparations were encouraging.“Personally, I think we had a lot of good training before coming here, but we still need a response from the team. That’s what we need right now. Otherwise, we’ve had really good training and preparation,” she said.The captain also praised the bowling unit, especially spinners Nashra Sandhu and Sadia Iqbal.“I think our bowling was very good, especially the way we started. Nashra and Sadia bowled really well which was amazing. We just need more players to support them as we have struggled in other areas. We have good players and they can perform but we need more contributions from everyone,” she said.Pakistan, who also finished at the bottom of the table at last year’s 50 World Cup, will now look to salvage some pride when they take on the Netherlands in their final Group A match.