Pakistan cricketers told to ‘prioritise country’ after poor World Cup

Star players have been denied permission to play franchise cricket as board doubles down on workload management.

Pakistan’s cricketers have been told to prioritise country over leagues with the new director of cricket warning against signing up for T20 franchises, two weeks after the South Asian nation wrapped up its poor run at the ICC Cricket World Cup.

Pakistan, who won the 50-over tournament in 1992, lost five of its nine matches at the World Cup, including the marquee clash against hosts India, and failed to make it to the semifinals.

After the dismal run, the team’s management underwent an overhaul. Star batter Babar Azam stepped down as captain across all formats, and the coaching staff has also been replaced by the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB).

Head coach Grant Bradburn, team director Mickey Arthur and batting coach Andrew Puttick were all let go while bowling coach Morne Morkel stepped down from his role as well.

Former captain and all-rounder Mohammad Hafeez has taken over the role of team director, and former Pakistan bowlers Umar Gul and Saeed Ajmal are also part of the new-look support staff as bowling coaches.

“Every player has to understand that they should be available for Pakistan and their first priority should be to play domestic cricket in Pakistan,” a PCB spokesperson told media on Wednesday.

Ahead of Pakistan’s departure for a series against Australia and New Zealand, Hafeez urged contracted players to “prioritse playing for the country” over franchise cricket.

“Contracted players must make themselves available for the national team,” Hafeez told reporters in Lahore on Tuesday.

Hafeez, who retired from international cricket in 2021, blamed the added workload of franchise leagues as a contributing factor for Pakistan’s poor performance in recent tournaments, including the Asia Cup, where it lost to India and Sri Lanka and failed to make it to the final.

He said players have suffered from fatigue and injuries with the increased frequency of T20 leagues.