Former Pakistan cricketer and coach Rashid Latif has lashed out at the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) and the team’s management for “conspiring against the players and saving themselves by covering up possible future problems” amid reports of a cut in players’ salaries.
The PCB is said to be planning to reduce the salaries of the Pakistan cricket team players, with player salaries slashed to PKR 40 lakh from PKR 60 lakh, which could lead to them refusing to sign central contracts for the upcoming season.
Rashid Latif criticises PCB over workload management and pay cuts
There is also a commotion over the NOCs with Pakistan Cricket as the PCB has already denied the NOC to Naseem Shah to play in The Hundred 2024. Now, they are keen on not allowing senior players like Babar Azam, Mohammad Rizwan and Shaheen Afridi to play in the Canadian T20 league in order to manage the workload and fitness of the players and keep them fresh for national assignments.
Reacting to the reports, Latif lashed out at the PCB for running an agenda to hide his failure, questioning its decision to leave out Naseem during the 2024 T20 World Cup while referring to workload management as cricket player management.
The former batsman and wicket-keeper said that the PCB has been playing with the player behind the cry of workload management. He also said that earlier there was no workload management and players were playing on 400-run pitches, while criticising the PCB for taking unfair advantage of it.
He lashed out at the PCB for not allowing players to get exposure from foreign leagues, citing Shah’s example to highlight that they are ruining a player by not making him play for the national team or not allowing him to participate in the game in foreign leagues.
Rashid Latif predicts PCB will soon face wrath of players
Rashid Latif told Dr. Nauman Niaz on his YouTube channel: “There are not many matches for Pakistan in this window so it will be interesting to see how many bowlers play against Bangladesh as the PCB might have to manage Shaheen Afridi’s workload as well. So, it is a bit difficult for the PCB to retain the players with such a deal.
Apart from this, there are also some divisions among the players. In the future, this decision will have to bear fruit. If the boys have made a mistake, they will have to pay for it. The management will have to pay for it as well. It is not that easy to stop the boys.”
Meanwhile, Rashid Latif has expressed concern over the PCB’s approach to workload management, pointing out in particular the failure of the medical panel. He pointed to a lack of trust in the panel due to its poor track record, which has led to players seeking treatment abroad, and the PCB covering up the problem behind so-called workload management.
Rashid Latif calls PCB selfish
Latif further questioned how the medical committee can manage the workload of Pakistani players when they are struggling to diagnose and treat injuries effectively. He pointed out that the committee meets players infrequently and players often go elsewhere to rehabilitate after injuries.
Latif launched another attack on PCB saying: “They are plotting against the players, saving themselves by covering up potential future problems, which is very selfish on their part. Driven by an agenda.”
Workload Management “Truck ki Laal Batti”@VRCaughtBehind image.twitter.com/OAf2sebScd
—Rashid Latif | 🇵🇰 (@iRashidLatif68) July 13, 2024