Daily Times

LAHORE – The senior Pakistani cricketers upset about Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) Chairman Shaharyar Khan’s education remark that the absence of educated players in the national team has led to recent poor performances.

Senior batsman Mohammad Hafeez has said that cricket itself is a complete education. “I am proud to be a Test cricketer and for me, this is my degree,” he said on social media, a clear reference to Khan’s remarks.

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Making it obvious that he did not agree with Shaharyar’s views, Hafeez said that while education was very important for everyone, earning degrees was not enough in life.

The former captain is not attending the boot camp in Kakul ahead of the team’s Test series in England this summer as he is undergoing rehabilitation for a knee problem at the national academy in Lahore. Media reports have said that many players attending the camp are also not amused by the PCB chief’s remarks, but have decided to not speak out publicly.

However, they have decided to convey their feelings to the authorities privately. Talking to the journalists in Quetta last Thursday, Shahryar had said that presently only Misbahul Haq was a proper graduate in the team. “There is no graduate in the team right now except for Misbah and the absence of educated players in the team is the primary reason for its recent downfall,” he had said.

The PCB chief rued the fact that Pakistan had slipped badly in ODIs and T20 cricket. “In future we will do our best to induct and encourage educated players into the team and also try to groom the existing lot of talent,” he had said.