All is not well in the Pakistan cricket team dressing room as reports of rifts and arguments between players and support staff are emerging on social media after their 21-run defeat against New Zealand in the second T20 international in Hamilton on Sunday.
Pak batting collapse
Pakistan were cruising in their chase of 195 with Babar Azam and Fakhar Zaman at the crease but the latter's wicket in the 10th over completely changed the momentum of the game.
Fakhar was dismissed by Adam Milne after scoring a fifty off 25 balls which triggered a batting collapse that saw the entire team get fold from 97 for 2 to 173-all out in 19.3 overs.
Batters flop again in Hamilton
Only Babar (66), Fakhar (50) and captain Shaheen Shah Afridi (22) managed to score in double digits for the Men in Green after New Zealand posted 194 for 8 thanks to Finn Allen's 74.
Pak media reports of internal rifts
Pakistani media is now reporting that the players and team management are at loggerheads with each other after yet another humiliating loss in white-ball cricket.
Similar reports had done the rounds during the ICC World Cup 2023 in India during Pakistan's campaign in the 10-team tournament.
Pakistan cricket crisis
Babar Azam faced the axe from captaincy while the entire coaching staff was replaced by the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) after the team's league-stage exit from the World Cup in October-November.
Things got even worse when alleged chats between Babar Azam and PCB COO Salman Naseer were leaked by Pakistan's ARY News channel, allegedly on the orders of board president Zaka Ashraf.
Babar axed from captaincy after World Cup debacle
Babar was eventually replaced by Shan Masood and Shaheen Shah Afridi as the captains in the Test and white-ball formats, respectively.
Pakistan will now have to overcome their internal rifts and pull up their socks on the field to make a comeback in the 5-match series in New Zealand as they are currently 0-2 behind. The next match will be played in Dunedin on January 17.
