World Cup-winning former captain Imran Khan has expressed disappointment over Pakistan’s defeat to India and their embarrassing early exit from the Champions Trophy, his sister Aleema Khan said. After meeting the former Pakistan Prime Minister at Adiala Jail in Rawalpindi, Aleema revealed that Imran was upset over Pakistan’s below-par performance against their arch-rivals in Dubai on Sunday, February 23.

“The PTI (Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf) founder expressed great sadness over losing the match against India,” Aleema said, as quoted by PTI news agency, adding that the legendary cricketer watched the match in jail.

Pakistan were hammered by six wickets in a one-sided contest in Dubai. Virat Kohli hit a well-paced hundred as India comfortably chased down a 241-run target. Despite much hype, the contest failed to live up to expectations, as Pakistan were below-par in all three departments. With the bat, they lacked the intensity needed to put pressure on the Indian bowlers, further exposing the gulf in class between the two teams.

Imran Khan also questioned the capabilities of Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) chief Mohsin Naqvi, expressing his disappointment with the current regime’s appointments to top positions in cricket administration.

“Imran said cricket will eventually be destroyed when favourites are put in decision-making positions,” Aleema added.

Champions Trophy: Full Coverage | Points Table

Pakistan’s men’s cricket team and administration have faced intense scrutiny following their dismal performances in the Champions Trophy. Hosting an ICC tournament for the first time in 29 years, Pakistan were knocked out of the play-offs race within just six days.

IMRAN KHAN BLAMED FOR PAKISTAN CRICKET’S DOWNFALL

While former cricketers have criticised the quality of players and their mindset to compete at the highest level, former PCB chief Najam Sethi accused Imran Khan of triggering the downfall of Pakistan cricket during his tenure as Prime Minister.

Najam Sethi, who stepped down as PCB chief after Imran’s election, claimed the former captain tampered with the domestic cricket structure, which he believes was a decisive factor in the decline of Pakistan’s talent pipeline.

In 2019, under Imran’s directive, the PCB overhauled the domestic cricket structure, replacing the long-standing system of 16-18 departmental and regional association sides with a six-team first-class competition. Ramiz Raja, a former teammate of Imran, was appointed PCB chief in 2021 but had to step down following the fall of the Imran-led government.

“The downfall started in 2019 when a new management under a new PM/Patron changed the domestic cricket structure that had served Pakistan reasonably well for decades and replaced it with an ill-suited Australian hybrid model. Political interference continued; contradictory PCB policies became the norm-foreign coaches were hired and sent packing, selectors were whimsically nominated, old discards were recruited to mentor and manage. Finally, player power, clash of captain egos and groupings in the team came to prevail over fumbling managements! The horrible result is before us,” Sethi said.

The instability in Pakistan cricket looks set to continue, as interim head coach Aaqib Javed is reportedly on the verge of being sacked, just four months after his appointment.