Lahore: Pakistan pace legend Wasim Akram said one of the reasons he never accepted any permanent coaching assignment with the national team is because he can't tolerate the online abuse that coaches have to be endure due to the failure of the side.
“I can't stand misbehaviour from anyone and I am not stupid I see how people misbehave and insult coaches/seniors on the social media if the team is not doing well. I don't think I have the patience for that,” he said. Wasim said while he can understand the passion of the cricket fans but he couldn't understand the bad language and insults that are used on social media.
“I just think we need to ponder on the fact that whatever we say on social media reflects on what we are,” he added.
He said people need to understand that the coaches and support staff can only plan, guide and motivate the players but at the end of the day the players have to perform on the field. “Sometimes you do well, sometimes you lose. But tell me do we see this sort of extreme reaction or misbehaviour in other countries. Have you seen Ravi Shastri being treated this way on social media? It is pretty scary for me the way people behave on social media,” Akram said.
Akram also dismissed fears burn out concerns of Shaheen Shah Afridi. “I don't think he will burn out, in fact he is getting better.
Four Balochistan players test +ve
Four players from the Balochistan squad tested positive for COVID-19, prompting the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) to reschedule matches of the National T20 Championship, claime d reports. The PCB did not name the players. The four Balochistan players have been placed in a 10-day quarantine and all other players were asymptomatic and tested negative, and will continue to participate in the tournament, the PCB said.
Balochistan were due to play Northern Punjab on Wednesday at the Gaddafi Stadium in Lahore but that match has been rescheduled. Northern Punjab will now play Southern Punjab. The PCB said the Balochistan-Khyber Pakhtunkhwa match on Thursday will be played as scheduled. Balochistan will beef up their squad with players from their Cricket Association Championship three-day tournament side. The player transfer will be from bubble-to-bubble but the replacement players will undergo RT-PCR testing as per the PCB COVID-19 protocols.
The PCB also confirmed that the players named in the Pakistan squad for the upcoming T20 World Cup will not compete in the national event as they have to shift to a bio-bubble for showpiece as per the ICC regulations.
