I'm being blamed for Pakistan's defeat against India, says bemused Imran

PTI chairman criticises Najam Sethi, Shaharyar Khan for Pakistan team's performance in World T20

Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) chairman Imran Khan has lamented that he is being blamed for advising the national team ahead of the clash with India during the World T20 match in Kolkata.

“My advice to the team is being blamed for the defeat [against India]," Imran said while addressing a press conference on Friday.



In a ‘leaked’ report submitted to the Pakistan Cricket Board’s fact-finding committee on Friday, team manager Intikhab Alam said Imran’s advice to the team “never allowed the possibility of defeat enter their consciousness”.

On March 19, India beat Pakistan by six wickets in a high-voltage World T20 match held at Eden Gardens, Kolkata.

Imran, a former captain of the Men in Green, had given a morale-boosting talk prior to the game on an invitation from skipper Shahid Afridi, advising the players to stay positive till the last ball was bowled.

Alam also said that Imran was “not too familiar with the demands and tactics employed in this condensed, post-modern format of the game.



Imran further said Najam Sethi will not retire from his position even if everyone else [responsible for the defeat] tendered their resignations.

“On one end, we have Najam Sethi while at the other end we have Shaharyar Khan,” Imran said holding those at the helm of the affairs for the team’s crashing defeats in Asia Cup and World T20.

Intra-party elections

Meanwhile, the PTI chairman said they decided to conduct direct elections in the party after learning from their own mistakes, and followed a US-British like electoral system.



Tasneem Noorani, the party's chief election commissioner, asked us to hold intra-party elections through mobile phones and we accepted, Imran said, asking “how can elections be held through mobile phones.”

The cricketer-turned-politician also criticised party dissident Justice (retd) Wajeehuddin Ahmed, saying he decided to nullify elections on just three to four petitions [against it].

On March 26, Noorani resigned from the post after developing differences with the party chairman.

Similarly, Justice Wajihuddin basic membership was suspended "over his insistence to discuss the party’s internal matter publicly and maligning some senior party leaders".

While criticising Najam Sethi, the PTI leader said, “With such nepotism taking place with Najam Sethi made the Executive Committee Chairman, I suggest that [Prime Minister] Nawaz Sharif and Najam Sehti be made openers in the team,” Imran remarked during an informal talk prior to the press conference relating to the intra-party elections.