PCB probe committee report may blame batting failure for WC debacle

The report by a three-member probe committee of the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) on the teams failure at the recently concluded World Cup is said to have held the batsmen responsible for the cup debacle.

Islamabad, May 16 : The report by a three-member probe committee of the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) on the team's failure at the recently concluded World Cup is said to have held the batsmen responsible for the cup debacle.

According to PCB sources, the committee, which is expected to formally release the report on May 17, found during its investigation that players and experts were of the view that batting failure was major reason for defeats against the West Indies and Ireland in the Caribbean islands, which led to the team's exit in the very first round, The Nation reports.

"The batsmen specifically blamed wicket for Ireland match and excused that they were not used to playing on such tracks," the sources said.

The newspaper quoted probe committee head Ijaz Butt, as saying that the panel interviewed a number of current and former Pakistani cricketers in all four provinces before finalising its report.

Though many cricketers expressed different views on different matters, most of them insisted that there should be good relation between players and the coach. They also said that whether the coach was local or foreigner should not a big issue, Butt said.

However, sources said the report, which would be made public by PCB Chairman Dr Nasim Ashraf at a press conference in Lahore, did not carry any grandiloquent elements.

"There is no special thing in the report which creates ripples and the reasons found by committee are mostly known to cricket related circles," said a PCB official, adding that the major part of the report comprises suggestions for future.

The source added that majority of the experts blamed domestic system as the core reason and suggested that it needed major changes for victories in big events.

The PCB had constituted the three-member probe committee after the team returned from the World Cup. Former Test cricketer Ijaz Butt headed the committee, with Director Operation PCB Salahuddin and Saleem Altaf being the other two members.

ANI