Pakistan vs New Zealand T20 World Cup 2022 Semifinal: Why are Wasim Akram and Waqar Younis UPSET at team’s dressing room videos

Source: Twitter

Former Pakistan captains Wasim Akram and Waqar Younis have slammed the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) for sharing clips of the dressing room on social media during the ongoing ICC men’s T20 World Cup 2022 in Australia. The PCB’s social media is one of the most active compared to other cricket teams in sharing videos, interviews and other happenings including pep talks inside the dressing room.

PCB posted a video of Babar Azam’s speech after the defeat against India in the first game of T20 World Cup 2022 and then they also shared Babar and mentor Matthew Hayden’s videos giving pep talks to the other players in the dressing room soon after the team qualified for the semis on Sunday (November 6). Akram and Younis felt whatever happens inside a change room should be kept confidential and not be highlighted to the world.

__ Skipper @babarazam258 speaks to his team after Pakistan qualify for the #T20WorldCup semifinals _#WeHaveWeWill pic.twitter.com/CkmpJCj6o3 — Pakistan Cricket (@TheRealPCB) November 6, 2022

“Look if I was in place of Babar Azam I would stop the guy making videos because at times some very personal things are said and done and can be embarrassing if leaked out,” Akram said on the A Sports channel. “It is good to allow fans to interact with their favorite players through social media but this is getting too much.

“I don’t think I have seen any other team go to this extent in this World Cup or prior to that. I can understand the desire to increase followers and get views but this too much.”

Interestingly, when Pakistan lost to Zimbabwe and was struggling to secure a semi-final spot in the World Cup the PCB’s social media unit had gone silent with even the Chairman preferring to remain quiet. But as soon as Pakistan reached the semifinals after the win over Bangladesh, the PCB resumed releasing videos of the players including travel diaries, pep talks, interviews on the social media with even Chairman Ramiz Raja hammering out tweets.

Akram said such video recordings taking place in and outside the dressing room is also distracting for the players. “There are recordings taking place all the time. Imagine if I am sitting and not knowing someone is recording – a message I want to give my team,” he said.

Younis also seconded Akram’s views and noted that in the past Pakistan cricket suffered because it had a history of dressing room information and incidents getting leaked. “I agree 100 per cent with what Wasim has said. Whatever happens inside the dressing room, should stay there,” he said.

“This is a problem not just now but earlier as well when a lot of information was leaked to the media – people used to scream, argue, fight. And now you yourself are recording and showing happenings from the dressing room to the world,” he said.

Pakistan will now take on New Zealand in the first semifinal of the T20 World Cup 2022 at the Sydney Cricket Ground on Wednesday (November 9).

(with PTI inputs)