Rashid Latif: “On the road to the World Cup, we are playing 7 matches. The time is very short. If they lose, the board will blame Kirsten or Babar Azam. This is our tradition”
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Former Pakistan wicketkeeper-batsman Rashid Latif believes limited overs captain Babar Azam and white-ball head coach Gary Kirsten will be the scapegoats if the men in green fail to perform in the 2024 T20 World Cup.
Latif feels the timing of Kirsten’s appointment “is wrong” and feels that instant results will be expected of him.
If that doesn’t happen, especially at the T20 World Cup, he sees the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) placing the blame on Azam and Kirsten.
“Gary Kirsten has been a successful coach for India, and also in franchise cricket. But the timing [of his appointment] is wrong, the problem that has always arisen in Pakistan is timing,” he was quoted as saying by Cricket Pakistan.
“This is above my head… Next month we are going to the World Cup. On the road to the World Cup, we are playing 7 matches. The time is very short. If they lose, the board will blame Kirsten or Babar Azam. This is our tradition. I will not blame Babar or Kirsten.”
The Pakistan team recently played a five-match T20I series against New Zealand, which concluded as a 2-2 draw.
They then faced Ireland in a three-match T20I series, which the men in green won 2-1.
Pakistan’s next assignment will see them play four T20Is against England from May 22 to May 30.
Following this, they will be in action in the 2024 T20 World Cup, which will be played in the West Indies and United States of America from June 1 to 29.
Pakistan’s first T20 World Cup game will be against the United States of America in Dallas on June 6.
Pakistan Squad for Ireland and England T20I Series: Babar Azam (capt), Abrar Ahmed, Azam Khan, Fakhar Zaman, Haris Rauf, Hasan Ali, Iftikhar Ahmed, Imad Wasim, Abbas Afridi, Mohammad Amir, Mohammad Rizwan (wk), Irfan Khan, Naseem Shah, Saim Ayub, Salman Ali Agha, Shadab Khan, Shaheen Shah Afridi, Usman Khan