Iceland Cricket Takes Fresh Dig At Gautam Gambhir, Imam-ul-Haq, Harry Brook And Others Amid Controversies

Iceland Cricket has taken another cheeky dig at some of the biggest names in international cricket, putting together a fictional "management personnel of nightmares" team featuring Gautam Gambhir, Aqib Javed, Harry Brook, Rob Key and Imam-ul-Haq. The post comes as all five have been linked to different controversies or have been in the headlines in recent cricket news.

In its post, Iceland Cricket assigned Gambhir as head coach, Javed as head of selectors, Brook as captain and post-match party organiser, Key as director of golf and Imam as physio.

Iceland Cricket's Social Media Post

We can create a current international management personnel of nightmares:

Head coach: Gautam Gambhir

Head of selectors: Aqib Javed

Captain and post-match party organiser: Harry Brook

Director of golf: Rob Key

Physio: Imam-ul-Haq

Satirical Post

The social media post was clearly meant as satire and Iceland Cricket is using recent incidents involving the cricketers and administrators to create a fictional cricket management set-up.

Gambhir has been under pressure after India suffered a shock 2-0 T20I series defeat against Ireland in June. The loss led to criticism of India's team selection and Gambhir's coaching decisions.

Iceland Cricket had earlier mocked the India head coach after the series defeat, saying it did not want him on its coaching staff despite his "talent".

Aqib Javed has also been at the centre of controversy during Pakistan's troubled Test tour of England. Following two heavy defeats, the Pakistan Cricket Board made major mid-series changes, including sending seven players home and replacing members of the coaching staff. Javed defended the changes and said Pakistan needed a different mindset for the final Test.

The reference to Harry Brook is linked mainly to his recent off-field controversies. Brook was disciplined after an altercation with a nightclub bouncer in New Zealand and was also criticised after initially giving an untrue account of the incident. England's drinking culture and videos from a players' break in Noosa also went viral.

Brook's name has also been linked with the England Test captaincy following Ben Stokes' retirement. Iceland Cricket previously joked about Brook being ready to lead England in all three formats, saying those formats were "nightclubs, beaches, and police stations".

Rob Key's inclusion appears to be a reference to the England cricket set-up's long-running links with golf, as well as the criticism surrounding the team's management. Key, England's managing director of men's cricket, has previously spoken about players' golf discussions and was himself seen taking part in a charity golf event.

Imam-ul-Haq's inclusion comes at a particularly difficult time for the Pakistan opener. Imam suffered a low-grade calf strain while fielding during the Lord's Test against England and did not bat in either innings.

While the Pakistan Cricket Board confirmed the injury, former selector Mohammad Wasim questioned whether the injury was genuine. Javed has now said Imam will face an inquiry over the matter.

By putting all five names together, Iceland Cricket has turned several unrelated cricket controversies into one humorous imaginary management team.

The post is not a serious assessment of the individuals, but another example of the account's tongue-in-cheek style of commenting on events in international cricket.