Champions Trophy 2013: Lot at stake for PCB as Pakistan take on India

Karachi: If Pakistan fail to end their disappointing Champions Trophy campaign with a win over arch-rivals India, it could lead to a lot of heads rolling not only in the national team and management but also in the PCB.

Already the cracks within the board and differences between the team management and national selectors are becoming increasingly visible with the blame game becoming more prominent. To make matters worse, the Islamabad High Court has also suspended Zaka Ashraf from working as chairman of the board and apparently their appears to be no direction in cricket affairs at the moment. When asked to comment on the team`s poor performance in the Champions Trophy, Ashraf, who is in London, said only the players were responsible for their performances. "The chairman has nothing to do with the players` performance so how can he be blamed if the team does not perform well," Ashraf said. "I have nothing to do with the team`s performance. It depends on the players` performance. Moreover, I`m restrained by the court and as such I am not involved in such affairs. (But) the court hasn`t given its final ruling yet," he said. With the writing on the wall becoming increasingly clear for Ashraf after the IHC ruled yesterday that he will not represent Pakistan at the annual meeting of the ICC in London this month, things are not looking good even within the team. The national selection committee has privately expressed its disappointment at being blamed for the poor performance. "Why blame us... We sent the best possible team and in-form players to England. If they don`t perform or what playing eleven the captain or coach field is not our responsibility," a selector told PTI. Many former players have called for the selectors and for changes in the team management after Pakistan lost to the West Indies and South Africa to tumble out of the tournament. Pakistan have one final chance of returning home with pride, provided they beat India in their final group match. "What sense was there to drop Asad Shafiq from the game against South Africa when he was our best player against them in the Test series this year," the selector asked. PTI