Summary Our cricketers are not good enough, Mahmood said.
LAHORE (Web Desk) – National cricket team’s bowling coach Azhar Mahmood on Thursday said that former Pakistani skipper Shahid Afridi committed some blunders in mega events, Dunya News reported.
"Shahid Afridi was a changed man during the Asia Cup and World Twenty20 and he wanted to do things better. Unfortunately some of the decisions he made did not come off. He made some blunders and they are all there in various reports and everyone has seen them, so there is no point me going over those mistakes again," he wrote in a blog posted on Pak Passion.
"One of the aspects that was a real concern was that some players are playing for themselves and not for the team. This stems from the team culture and the lack of trust and results in players only thinking about their own position in the team and not what the team‘s requirements are," he added.
He further said that players do not work hard during practice session and if a player is dropped, he takes it personally, as if he feels that the coach or captain is against him and has some sort of personal vendetta against him.
There is no groupism in the team, in fact, our cricketers are not good enough at the moment, he added.
Azhar Mahmood further said: "There‘s too much negativity in the Pakistan dressing room and that needs to be eradicated."
The remarks by the bowling coach came few days after the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) announced Sarfraz Ahmed as new captain of the T20 team after Shahid Afridi stepped down following his side’s humiliating early exit from the World Twenty20.
A statement on the PCB website described Ahmed -- who led the Quetta Gladiators to the final in Pakistan’s first-ever franchise-based T20 league in February -- as a "natural choice" for the position.
"I spoke to Sarfraz this morning and conveyed to him that he was our natural choice for this position. His appointment is open-ended. I wish him good luck in his new role," it quoted PCB chairman Shaharyar Khan as saying.
Afridi resigned as captain Sunday after his team’s exit from the tournament’s group stage.
Ahmed, a right-handed wicketkeeper-batsman who has played 21 T20 internationals and the same number of Test matches, as well as 58 one-day internationals, said he will invoke the team’s fighting spirit.
"We will play good cricket," the 28-year-old told reporters after his appointment was announced.
He showered praise on the outgoing captain Afridi, subject of some of the most scathing criticism in the wake of the team’s performance in India.
"I haven’t seen a megastar like Afridi in my cricketing career. He has served Pakistan cricket for 20 years," Ahmed said.
Head coach Waqar Younis resigned Monday following Pakistan’s disastrous performance in the World Twenty20.
The 2009 champions were widely criticised for a lacklustre performance in India, with just one victory against unfancied Bangladesh and big losses to India, New Zealand and Australia.
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