PCB chief not responding to Babar Azam, Pakistan players not paid for 4-5 months: Rashid Latif makes shocking claims 

Former Pakistan captain Rashid Latif has claimed that the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) chief Zaka Ashraf has stopped responding to calls and messages from captain Babar Azam. He also alleges that players have not received their salaries for the last 4-5 months.

The 1992 world champions Pakistan are having a disappointing 2023 World Cup campaign. They're sixth in the points table, with two wins and four losses. After starting the competition with wins over Netherlands and Sri Lanka, Pakistan have lost their last four games, severely hampering their chances of reaching the last four.

Speaking about the current state of Pakistan cricket, media reports quoted Latif as telling PTV sports channel

“I know for a fact that Babar has got no response from the Chairman (Zaka Ashraf) when he called and messaged from India."

The former keeper-batter further alleged that players have at least four to five months’ salaries pending as per the central contract.

“The players have not got salaries. .... the Chairman is not responding to the captain, and in these circumstances, what do we expect from the team,” Latif added.

He also claimed that some senior PCB officials have told the players that the central contracts they signed before leaving for the 2023 World Cup are now under review.

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Former Pakistan captains hit out at Babar’s captaincy in 2023 World Cup

Meanwhile, former captains Wasim Akram and Shoaib Malik were critical of Babar’s captaincy after Pakistan went down to South Africa by one wicket in their last World Cup game.

Questioning the decision to give left-arm spinner Mohammed Nawaz the 48th over, Akram said on the The Pavilion’ show:

“I don’t know what he (Babar) was doing? Why give Nawaz the over when he had not bowled well at all in the innings and was lacking confidence? Usama was the obvious choice with the fast bowlers having finished their spells. Poor captaincy,”

During the same discussion, Malik added:

“I have always said that Babar is not made for captaincy. He can’t handle the pressure, and it is affecting his batting badly.”

Pakistan’s next game in the 2023 World Cup will be against Bangladesh in Kolkata on October 31.