Pakistan cricketer Ahmad Shahzad has withdrawn his name from the Champions Cup in domestic cricket in a viral post on the social media platform X. The 32-year-old claimed that there is “favouritism, false promises, and injustice” in the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) towards its domestic players, which he deemed “unacceptable.”
Notably, the PCB launched a new 50-overs tournament called the Champions Cup, which will be played in Faisalabad from September 12, featuring around top 150 cricketers from Pakistan. Ahmad Shahzad, who was selected to take part in the domestic tournament, withdrew his name from the tournament in a massive tirade on X.
The PCB’s favoritism, false promises, and injustice towards domestic players are unacceptable: Ahmad Shahzad
The right-handed batter posted, “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 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,” Ahmad Shahzad further wrote .
Just a few hours after lambasting the PCB for wasting money on mentors, Ahmad Shahzad released a video on X, captioning it “Damage Control Strategy of PCB.” In the short clip, he said, “The condition of the Pakistan cricket team is such that PCB needs some names that can stand in front to protect them so that they come in the line of fire.”