ABdul Razzaq was not selected for the semi-final of the World Twenty20. -Photo by AFP

KARACHI: Pakistan cricket chiefs Tuesday ordered veteran all-rounder Abdul Razzaq to explain himself after he publicly criticised skipper Mohammed Hafeez for dropping him for the World Twenty20 semi-final.

The 32-year-old was replaced by fast bowler Sohail Tanveer for Pakistan's semi-final defeat against Sri Lanka last week, a decision which Hafeez said was unanimous.

But when the team returned to Pakistan on Saturday, Razzaq blasted the captain for acting alone.

“I was disappointed sitting outside while the team was losing the match,” Razzaq said.

“I know the team management didn't drop me, it was Hafeez who left me out. He should speak up and admit his decision.”

Pakistan Cricket Board spokesman Nadeem Sarwar said Razzaq had breached the player's code of conduct, which forbids players from speaking to the media without prior permission from the board.

“Razzaq has violated the code of conduct and we have served him a show-cause notice. He has seven days to answer the notice,” Sarwar told AFP.

Razzaq made 22 in Pakistan's Super Eights match in the World Twenty20, his only appearance in the tournament.

West Indies beat hosts Sri Lanka in the final on Sunday to lift the trophy.

Opinion

Editorial

Plugging the gap
06 May, 2024

Plugging the gap

IN Pakistan, bias begins at birth for the girl child as discriminatory norms, orthodox attitudes and poverty impede...
Terrains of dread
Updated 06 May, 2024

Terrains of dread

Restored faith in the police is unachievable without political commitment and interprovincial support.
Appointment rules
Updated 06 May, 2024

Appointment rules

If the judiciary had the power to self-regulate, it ought to have exercised it instead of involving the legislature.
Hasty transition
Updated 05 May, 2024

Hasty transition

Ostensibly, the aim is to exert greater control over social media and to gain more power to crack down on activists, dissidents and journalists.
One small step…
05 May, 2024

One small step…

THERE is some good news for the nation from the heavens above. On Friday, Pakistan managed to dispatch a lunar...
Not out of the woods
05 May, 2024

Not out of the woods

PAKISTAN’S economic vitals might be showing some signs of improvement, but the country is not yet out of danger....