Awais Zia: “No one contributed more than Misbah in Pakistan cricket’s downfall. I will say it by taking his name. Why? Because he only preferred players from Mianwali, Faisalabad and SNGPL”
Image taken by: Bimal Mirwani
Opening batsman Awais Zia has named former captain Misbah-ul-Haq as the biggest contributor to Pakistan cricket’s downfall.
He slammed Misbah for giving preference to players from Mianwali, Faisalabad and Sui Northern Gas Pipelines Limited (SNGPL) players when it came to selection.
Additionally, he also accused the 50-year-old of playing for himself and ensuring he kept his spot in the team safe, while asking other players to play a more aggressive brand of cricket that may result in them getting dismissed for low scores and eventually losing their place in the side.
“No one contributed more than Misbah in Pakistan cricket’s downfall. I will say it by taking his name. Why? Because he only preferred players from Mianwali, Faisalabad and SNGPL. He put in players from these teams in the Pakistan set-up. If there are good players in these teams, bring them. I am not criticising them. I am saying that bring players from other teams too,” Awais told PakPassion.
“You lost the game just to score your fifty. There is a player that is currently playing, I won’t take his name, he would be asked to pad [up] from opening but sent into bat at number six. If a new player is batting with you, you are asking [him] to hit big, you are the captain, your position in the team is set, you should hit.”
The Pakistan team recently played an ODI tri-series against New Zealand and South Africa, where they made it to the final before being beaten by the Black Caps.
After this, the men in green took part in the 2025 Champions Trophy but were eliminated in the group stage after losing to New Zealand and India.
Their final game against Bangladesh was washed out, meaning they went winless throughout their campaign.
Pakistan’s next assignment will be a white-ball tour of New Zealand, which will comprise five T20Is and three ODIs from March 16 to April 5.
Pakistan Squad for T20I Series against New Zealand: Hasan Nawaz, Omair Yousuf, Mohammad Haris, Abdul Samad, Salman Ali Agha (captain), Irfan Khan Niazi, Khushdil Shah, Shadab Khan, Abbas Afridi, Jahandad Khan, Mohammad Ali, Shaheen Shah Afridi, Haris Rauf, Sufiyan Muqeem, Abrar Ahmed, Usman Khan
Pakistan Squad for ODI Series against New Zealand: Mohammad Rizwan (captain), Salman Ali Agha, Abdullah Shafique, Abrar Ahmed, Akif Javed, Babar Azam, Faheem Ashraf, Imam-ul-Haq, Khushdil Shah, Mohammad Ali, Mohammad Wasim Jnr, Irfan Khan Niazi, Naseem Shah, Sufiyan Muqeem, Tayyab Tahir
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