LAHORE: None of the leading Pakistan Cricket Board officials were available in the PCB headquarters at the Gaddafi Stadium here on Monday, a day after Pakistan team’s shock defeat to arch-rivals India at Adelaide in a crucial World Cup match on Sunday.

Neither chairman Shaharyar M. Khan nor PCB Governing Board member and chairman of three committees Najam Sethi or Shakil Sheikh (head of Cricket Committee) — who had played key roles in taking major cricket related decisions prior to the start of the World Cup — were available in the PCB offices which was extremely surprising and reflective of their mindset about the team’s performance in Australia.

The need of the hour was that the trio should have met immediately to discuss the shambolic display by national team at Adelaide after India, who were under tremendous pressure before the crunch game due to their dismal show in the recent Test series and the tri-nation ODI series in Australia, cruised to a 76-run win over Pakistan for the sixth consecutive time in a World Cup.

Keeping in view Ireland’s strong performance against the West Indies on Monday and Zimbabwe’s heroic fightback against the formidable South Africans in Sunday’s other match, it is a fact that the chances of Pakistan qualifying for the last-eight stage of the World Cup have been dampened even further.

Only captain Misbah-ul-Haq fought hard with his rock solid batting while opener Ahmed Shehzad chipped in with 46 against India as the rest of the players failed to resist the pedestrian bowling attack of the opposition. Seasoned players like Younis Khan, Shahid Afrid and talented youngsters like Umar Akmal, Sohaib Maqsood and others all failed making an impact in the crucial game as Pakistan badly faltered in the run chase after conceding a mammoth score of 300 earlier in the match.

It is, indeed a sorry state of affairs that despite Misbah’s resolute batting and captaincy during the last many months, a smear campaign against him has been run by certain people in the team management including head coach Waqar Younis and chief selector Moin Khan who for long have favoured Afridi to replace the gutsy 40-year-old skipper.

Sources confirmed that both Moin and Waqar had advised PCB chief Shaharyar during the last series against Australia held in the UAE to remove Misbah as the ODI skipper and put Afrid in the saddle. The chairman, however, turned it down.

It has also been learnt that the PCB’s ridiculous move to send chief selector Moin Khan with the World Cup squad is also being detested by the players and they were not comfortable with it.

While no immediate change could be made in the team at this stage, the PCB at least could call back Moin to let captain Misbah and the players breathe easy and field a sensible playing eleven to salvage some pride in the tournament.