'Fixing issi vajah se hui thi. Sabko dar tha...': Miandad drops bombshell remark

Pakistan faced a five-wicket defeat to England in the 2022 T20 World Cup final on Sunday in Melbourne. The side was restricted to 137/8 in 20 overs after being invited to bat, and England chased down the target with an over to spare. Ben Stokes was the star of the night for the English team, as he remained unbeaten on 52 off 49 deliveries to secure a second World Cup title for the side. The Pakistan team – especially the batting order – is facing significant criticism for its performance in the final, but former Pakistan captain Javed Miandad talked about a rather unusual concern in the side.

Miandad hinted that Pakistan have relied more on foreign coaches over the past few years; in the current setup, the side had Matthew Hayden as the team's mentor, while Shaun Tait as the bowling coach. The former Pakistan head coach further wondered what the future of the current players will be, as the management is inclining increasingly towards the foreign coaches.

Also read: PCB provides major update on Shaheen Afridi's injury after T20 World Cup final defeat: 'He has been advised...'

“Ham logon ne County kheli hai, magar aaj jo ye ladke khel rahe hain, inka future kya hai? (We have played County, but those who are playing right now, what's their future?),” said Miandad on Cricket Pakistan.

When the anchor mentions that Veron Philander was also a part of the support staff in T20 World Cup last year, Miandad became rather frustrated. “Lao na inko, inse ham log question karenge. Puchein toh sahi ham bhi, batao cricket ke baare me. (Bring them to the studio, we will ask them questions. We also want to know what they know about cricket),” Miandad said.

“Board apne aap ko bachaati hai ki aasaani se aa jaayein, fir ham log sahi hain. (Board tries to save itself with such hiring).”

Miandad, then, made a rather explosive statement about the match-fixing scandals in Pakistan cricket.

“Apne logon ko dekhein, apne logon ne jo cricket kheli hai. Mujhe aisa kuch nahi hai, mujhe badi offers aati hain par main nahi jaata. Ye jo players khel rahe hain, ab ye aaj khel rahe hain. Inka future kya hai? Unko pata hai ki aaj maine kuch nahi kiya, toh kal main kya karunga? Fixing iss vajah se hui thi. Sabko dar tha ki ye kaat naa de hamko. (Look at our crickets who have played cricket in the past. I'm not talking about myself, I've received a lot of offers in the past but I don't go. What will happen to players who are there right now? They know they don't have anywhere to go if they don't perform. Fixing happened because of this very reason. Everyone was scared that their career will be over),” said the Pakistan great.

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