Premium'He's getting paid handsomely': Wasim Akram tears into Pakistan's director Mickey Arthur after World Cup exit
Mickey Arthur's statements throughout World Cup 2023 have drawn the ire of not just the fans but also ex-Pakistan cricketers like Wasim Akram and Shoaib Malik.
Last Updated: 03.16 PM, Nov 12, 2023
Pakistan's former captain Wasim Akram has come lashing out at Mickey Arthur for the latter's alleged 'inconsistent' role as the director of Pakistan's cricket team.
"I am not sure if he is the director of Pakistan's cricket team or Pakistan cricket on the whole," said Wasim Akram during the post-mortem analysis of Pakistan's loss to England the other day. The legendary fast-bowler would go on to question why Mickey Arthur is available only during tours and not in the interim period.
"If you like or prefer foreign coaches, surely go ahead and appoint them. But, it's a job and he is getting paid handsomely. And like in the corporate world, if you are given two months off, you choose to utilize that break in whatever way you wish to. But it shouldn't be that you leave once the tour is done with and reappear when another tour is about to begin," added Wasim Akram.
Mickey Arthur would be pulled by Wasim Akram for his remarks about Naseem Shah's absence disturbing the equilibrium of the Pakistan team. "India's number one all-rounder, one of the world's top players, Hardik Pandya, is injured. But has that made any difference (to India)? No. (Anrich) Nortje hasn't even come on this tour and (he's) one of the best bowlers in the world. Did that make any difference? No. That's called having a back-up," said Akram.
Arthur, of course, has been in the eye of the storm since Pakistan's World Cup 2023 campaign began. As the spokesperson, he has defended and stood by both Pakistan and Babar Azam during their underwhelming run over the past few weeks, asserting that mistakes are inevitable in the sport. He would, however, admit that Pakistan did not deserve to be part of the semis and that the four best teams of the tournament have, indeed, made it to the penultimate stage.
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Previously, Mickey Arthur coached the Pakistan men's team between 2016 and 2019 and is currently serving as the head coach of the English county team, Derbyshire. At the recent press conference (following the game against England), he spoke about taking on the dual role (along with the Derbyshire gig) only because of how much he cares for Pakistan cricket and the dressing room that Babar Azam leads at this point.