Pakistan and England will clash in third and final Test in Edgbaston from September 9.
Former Pakistan keeper-batter Kamran Akmal has backed players in the recent reports that their phones were confiscated by Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) officials in England and data was transferred from them. Akmal stated that the PCB is creating a diversion after panicking and sacking seven players from the squad before the third and final Test against England.
The PCB's Director of Media and Communications, Amir Mir, stated on Monday that the board has opened an internal disciplinary investigation in response to media accusations claiming player wrongdoing.
This comes after PCB sacked seven players and Test coach Sarfaraz Ahmed and bowling coach Umar Gul after Pakistan lost the first two Tests to England in embarrassing fashion. PCB removed Sarfaraz as Pakistan Test coach and had Mike Hesson take over.
Additionally, a number of media stories stated that some players in the UK had their cell phones confiscated by the PCB, raising major suspicions among fans. The board, however, has stated that an investigation has just been started and has neither confirmed nor refuted the report.
Kamran Akmal shared his views on the same on a Pakistan YouTube channel.
"The players must be down mentally. In the last two days, we have heard that the phones have been taken. It has been reported that the data was transferred and the phones were taken away for four hours. I have heard that four players who are in England have also had their phones taken away. So, the atmosphere would be very bad, and players would be panicking right now,” Akmal said on the 'Game Plan' show on the YouTube channel.
"It would be very difficult for the team to come out of this situation. You made seven changes earlier, including management changes. I am now feeling that the PCB could have handled the matter properly. You panicked, and I think you realized you had made such a hurried call. So, I feel diversion is being created right now. My experience tells me that the blunder you made of sending seven players back, I think, is that you want the people to keep thinking about this," he added.
Given how team news is making its way into the media, Akmal was quick to point out that one should not consider match-fixing or corruption since the phones have been taken away, as the PCB may have clamped down.
"Not just corruption. There are several matters. It would be the case of leaking the team news to the media. If phones have been taken away, I think this is the case. I would now urge the PCB to make the report public, or else fans would be against these players forever," said Akmal.
PCB chief Mohsin Naqvi earlier defended the move of replacing seven players in the squad, saying the performance in Tests hasn't been up to scratch.