LAHORE: The three main stakeholders of Pakistan cricket — head coach Mickey Arthur, chief selector Inzamam-ul-Haq and captain Sarfraz Ahmed — appeared before the Pakistan Cricket Board’s cricket committee here on Friday to express the views on their performance during the last four years.

The meeting lasting four hours was chaired by PCB managing director Wasim Khan. It first heard Sarfraz, then Inzamam and in the end Arthur appeared to give his views.

The three also clarified their position on a few questions they were asked by the cricket committee members namely Misbah-ul-Haq, Wasim Akram (through video link), and two ex-officio members PCB director international Zakir Khan and director academies Mudassar Nazar.

Director domestic cricket Haroon Rasheed, who is part of the cricket committee, did not attend the meeting. According to the PCB spokesman, Haroon was busy in finalising the upcoming domestic cricket programme, therefore, he could not attend.

Dawn has learnt that the head coach, chief selector and captain expressed their surprise over national team’s crushing seven-wicket defeat at the hands of West Indies in Pakistan’s World Cup opener at Trent Bridge, Nottingham. However, the trio termed the 14-run victory against hosts England, the eventual world champions, in the very next match at the same venue as a significant proof that the green-shirts did not lose heart after the first match.

The three reckoned that unfortunately Pakistan’s third match against Sri Lanka was washed out with both the teams sharing one point each. They were of the view that Pakistan would at least have played the semi-final had the match against Sri Lanka been held.

Here it may be mentioned that though Sarfraz and his men won their last four league matches against South Africa, New Zealand, Afghanistan and Bangladesh on the trot, on net run-rate New Zealand upstaged Pakistan to qualify for the semi-final.

Pakistan’s hard-earned three-wicket victory against Afghanistan was also a concern for the cricket committee members, to which both Sarfraz and Arthur had no satisfactory replies. However, they praised the Afghanistan’s spirited show against other teams too at the mega event.

The cricket committee will prepare its recommendations on the basis of these hearings and submit those to PCB chairman Ehsan Mani. He will take further decision to appoint new selection committee, head coach and other members of the team’s support staff as their contracts have ended after the World Cup.

Published in Dawn, August 3rd, 2019