Cricket-Mir says Pakistan more focussed on religion than cricket

By Waheed Khan

KARACHI, April 6 (Reuters) - Pakistan's media manager at the World Cup told an inquiry committee on Friday that there had been more focus on religion than cricket in the team.

The performance evaluation committee including three former test players and administrators has been constituted by the Pakistan Cricket Board to look into their first-round exit from the World Cup.

"I told the committee that the players were not focussed on cricket in the World Cup. They were more into religion," Pervez Mir, a former Pakistan player, told Reuters.

Mir said he was disturbed to see focus on cricket missing in the team in such an important tournament.

"I told the committee that Pakistani players, rather than pray privately, tried to make it a public spectacle," he said.

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Mir said he had told the committee of incidents to highlight his point and added that some players, led by captain Inzamam-ul-Haq, even made it a point to pray in the galley of aircrafts on flights rather than privately in their seats.