PCB former Chairman Shehryar Khan said that Saeed Anwar began the Islamic preaching in team while during Inzamam’s presence it got more importance. He expressed these views in his book on cricket. Shehryar Khan writes, ‘I have always seen the increasing Islamism in team from worried point of view. Saeed Anwar began with the aim, while Inzamam carried it forward’. According to him, the issues have reached to point where the team members are often busy in contacting the preachers.
Shehryar Khan says that it feels as if Saeed Anwar has been permitted by the preaching teams to entertain them every where the Pakistani team goes. It has been seen is Manchester, Birmingham, Durbin, Cardiff and Bristol. He further wrote that the team coach, Bob Woolmer had also complained that members’ high engagement in prayers hurdles him to discuss the match strategies with them.
However, the coach also said that the religious practices have also helped them to refrain from going to night clubs and other non-permissible practices. The former chairman also writes that Inzamam enjoyed full control over the team. It had created tensions between the coach Bob Woolmer and manager Zaheer Abbas in 2006.
‘I resigned from my former post due to the player power that dominated the team. I had failed to end it’, says PCB former man.