Captain Sarfaraz Ahmed avoided making any comments on Wednesday over reports of conflict with Pakistani players, as the media speculated on alleged grouping within the national team.
As soon as the Pakistani team captain reached London, he was surrounded by a group of journalists inquiring about disputes within the Pakistan squad.
But Sarfaraz responded but saying: “Talk to media manager Raza first…then we can discuss it.”
On Tuesday, the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) issued a clarification regarding allegations of friction in the team.
“There is no reality in the news related to conflicts between players and the captain,” a spokesperson for the PCB said.
“Board and players have given full confidence to Sarfaraz. There are tough dressing room talks but there is no grouping. The team wants to perform well in the tournament and they will,” said the PCB spokesperson.
The PCB official said that the players and coach Mickey Arthur share cordial relations, contrary to the media reports.
“The performance of the team, the new selection committee will be discussed once the teams are back on July 22nd after playing the tournament before that no discussions will be entertained,” he said.
According to reports, PCB chairman Ehsan Mani also motivated the skipper over a phone call and told him that the team has not yet been eliminated from the tournament and that they should give their best in the coming matches.
On Wednesday, in a meeting of the PCB’s Board of Governors, the board put their “faith, support and confidence” in the Pakistan cricket team, despite what they called a “below expectation” performance in the World Cup.
Pakistan’s devastating 89-run defeat to India on Sunday, the team’s second straight and third loss overall in the tournament, have further cut down its chances of making it to the semi-finals.
The team will play their next game against South Africa on Sunday.
