Representational Image.© X (formerly Twitter)
Out-of-favour Pakistan cricket team batter Ahmed Shehzad has decided not to play the Champions Cup, the nation's 50-over domestic cricket tournament which will kick off in Faisalabad on September 12. While announcing his decision, Shehzad revealed the reason behind it. He lashed out at the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) for "wasting" money on appointing mentors for the tournament at high cost. He also accused the PCB of favouritism, making "false promises and doing injustice to domestic players". "With a heavy heart, I've decided not to play in the Domestic Cricket Champions Cup," wrote Shehzad in a post on X.
"The PCB's favoritism, false promises, and injustice towards domestic players are unacceptable. 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.
Former Pakistan cricketer Waqar Younis has been recently recruited as one of the mentors of the five Champions Cup sides on a three-year contract. The PCB put out an official statement earlier this week to confirm that Younis, alongside Misbah-ul-Haq, Saqlain Mushtaq, Sarfaraz Ahmed and Shoaib Malik, will serve as mentors in the Champions Cup.
The five Champions Cup side mentors have played 1,621 international matches, scoring a total of 32,780 runs and taking 1,503 wickets between them.
Sarfaraz and Shoaib are two-time ICC Event winners, Misbah is a one-time ICC Event winner and ACC Asia Cup 2012 winning captain, while Saqlain and Waqar were members of the side that played in the 1999 World Cup final.
With a heavy heart, I've decided not to play in the Domestic Cricket Champions Cup. The PCB's favoritism, false promises, and injustice towards domestic players are unacceptable. In a time when Pakistan is struggling with inflation, poverty, and massive electricity bills, the PCB...
— Ahmad Shahzad (@iamAhmadshahzad) August 30, 2024
"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," Shehzad further said.
(With ANI Inputs)