New Delhi, Aug 31 (IANS): Pakistan cricketer Ahmed Shehzad has announced his decision to withdraw from the upcoming Cricket Champions Cup.
The 32-year-old cricketer took to the social media platform ‘X’ to express his frustration and disappointment with the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB), accusing the governing body of “favoritism, false promises, and injustice” towards domestic players.
Shehzad’s decision comes just weeks before the inaugural edition of the Champions Cup, a new tournament in Pakistan’s domestic cricket calendar aimed at bridging the gap between domestic and international cricket. The tournament, scheduled to be played from September 12-29, will include a series of matches across the 50-over, T20, and red-ball formats.
“With a heavy heart, I’ve decided not to play in the Domestic Cricket Champions Cup. PCB’s favoritism, false promises, and injustice towards domestic players are unacceptable,” wrote Shahzad.
The outspoken cricketer did not hold back in his criticism, particularly targeting the PCB’s financial decisions amid the country’s ongoing economic struggles. “In a time when Pakistan is struggling with inflation, poverty, and massive electricity bills, the PCB is wasting 5 million Rs on mentors for doing nothing and rewarding failed players in the current team who brought Pakistan cricket to an all-time low,” he added.
The tournament will feature five teams—Dolphins, Lions, Panthers, Stallions, and Wolves—with Misbah-ul-Haq, Saqlain Mushtaq, Sarfaraz Ahmed, Shoaib Malik, and Waqar Younis serving as team mentors. However, Shehzad’s criticism extends beyond just the mentors, as he condemned the PCB’s lack of support for domestic players.
“It’s even more disrespectful that the PCB claims they don’t have ‘instruments for surgery’ which is a huge disrespect for domestic players. As a Pakistani and true cricket lover, I cannot support a system that has no value for merit. I refuse to be a part of this failed setup.”
This isn’t the first time Shehzad has voiced his discontent with the current state of Pakistan cricket. Following Pakistan’s early exit from the 2024 Men’s T20 World Cup, co-hosted by the West Indies and the USA, Shehzad publicly criticized the team’s performance and accused certain players of prioritizing personal milestones over the country’s interests.
He even demanded the sacking of key players, including Babar Azam, Shaheen Shah Afridi, Mohammad Rizwan, Fakhar Zaman, and Haris Rauf.
Shehzad has had a notable international career, having played in 13 Tests, scoring 982 runs at an average of 40.92. In 81 One-Day Internationals, he amassed 2,605 runs at an average of 32.56, and in 59 T20 Internationals, he scored 1,471 runs at an average of 25.81.