LAHORE: Former Pakistan captain and chief selector Inzamam-ul-Haq has lashed out at Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) for ‘sacrificing’ a Test match for two T20Is for the upcoming tour of the West Indies.
“I don’t mind if they want to play more T20Is for practice or money but Test cricket should not be sacrificed for this,” said Inzamam while speaking on his official YouTube channel.
Inzamam believes that this move justifies pacers Mohammad Amir and Wahab Riaz’s decision to step away from Test cricket. “If you remember when Amir decided to retire from Test cricket, he faced a lot of criticism for preferring T20Is. The same happened with Wahab Riaz as well,” he added.
“However, now the board is giving the same message by replacing Test matches with T20Is. How can you stop the players from quitting Test cricket, in the future, if you are pursuing the same line of thought?” he questioned.
He cited the example of the South African cricketers, who opted to play for the Indian Premier League (IPL) instead of playing for their national side during Pakistan tour. “I request the ICC and other boards to stop running after money because when the players will adopt the same approach, you will get hurt,” he added.
A few days earlier, PCB CEO Waseem Khan announced that the PCB and the Cricket West Indies had mutually decided to include two T20Is in place of a Test match so that the two sides can prepare for the upcoming T20I World Cup.
Pakistan will play five T20 Internationals and two Test matches against the West Indies in July and August, as per the schedule announced by the PCB a few days ago.
