Out of favour Pakistan batter Ahmed Shehzad has called out the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) for overspending on the five mentors that it has roped in for the newly designed domestic tournament, the Champions Cup.
Notably, the Pakistan Cricket Board has brought five mentors namely Misbah-ul-Haq, Waqar Younis, Shoaib Malik, Saqlain Mushtaq and Sarfaraz Ahmed on board to groom the players who will be participating in the marquee tournament.
As per reports, the PCB has handed out three-year contracts to each of the five mentors and they are being paid approximately PKR 5 million (approx. USD 18000) per month.
Such reports have spread out like wildfire and the PCB has come under heavy scrutiny as the reported salary of the mentors is more than what the board is offering to its Grade A players who are centrally contracted. The Grade A includes the likes of Babar Azam, Mohammad Rizwan and Shaheen Shah Afridi among others.
Shehzad took to 'X' formerly Twitter to criticize PCB's move and also announced that he won't be participating in the Champions Cup.
"With a heavy heart, I've decided not to play in the Domestic Cricket Champions Cup," Shehzad's post on X read. "The PCB's favouritism, 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."
"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."
Ahmed Shehzad calls out PCB for targeting Shaheen Shah Afridi
Shehzad believes that the team management and the board have made fast bowler Shaheen Afridi the scapegoat of Pakistan's 10-wicket drubbing against Bangladesh.
He mentioned that the team management also needed to reflect upon the performances of Abdullah Shafique, Saim Ayub and Babar Azam and pull them up.
