Karachi: Former captain Wasim Akram on Thursday took a swipe at the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) saying it set a wrong precedent by letting off the players responsible for the Barbados brawl with just a warning.

“Warnings or reprimands are nothing but an eyewash. In fact, by letting off cricketers with warnings, the PCB is setting the wrong precedent,” Akram said over telephone from Lahore.

“The players guilty of indiscipline need to be given a tough lesson that can become an example for the coming generations,” Akram, who captained Pakistan in 25 Tests and 109 one-dayers, said.

Shahid Afridi, Inzamam-ul Haq and Younis Khan exchanged words and blows on the first day of the Test match after the allrounder was asked to open the innings by stand-in captain Younis in the Barbados Test. Pakistan lost the match by a huge margin.

According to Akram, the best thing would have been to send the responsible players back home immediately after the incident.

“As regards players, I am very clear in my mind that the players guilty of indiscipline should have been put on the first available flight back to Pakistan, because the fines of $1,000 are peanuts for these cricketers,” Akram said.

He also blasted the team manager Saleem Altaf, blaming him as the “man responsible for the fiasco”.

“What I don’t understand is what the manager (Altaf) was doing in the radio commentary box when his job is to be in the dressing room. As far as I am concerned, he is the man responsible for the fiasco because he was not doing the job for which he had been sent,” Akram, who took 414 Tests and 502 one-day wickets during his 19-year career, said.

Altaf, who is also PCB’s director (cricket operations), has admitted that he was giving his views on Radio Pakistan on the first day’s play when the incident happened.

Akram said Inzaman, Afridi and Younis were all disciplined players and always co-operated with him when he was the captain.

“But the problems between Younis and rest of the players is not new. In fact, after the Indian tour, some players complained to me about the behaviour of Younis.”

“And I don’t buy the theory that the PCB didn’t knew what was cooking between Younis and the other senior players. Nonetheless, they preferred to remain silent spectators to allow the bubble to burst.”

According to Akram, team’s unity has been disturbed and rifts have created amongst the players in Pakistan cricket, when vice-captains have started thinking themselves as future leaders.

“We have examples when vice-captains have spoiled team unity and harmony either to become captain or by seeing themselves as future captain,” he added.

“I was probably the luckiest (Pakistan) captain because my vice-captain was Moin Khan who never wanted to become a captain and instead, took a lot of pride in playing the support role,” Akram, who was unceremoniously removed as captain in 1994 when nine players led by his deputy Waqar Younis revolted against him, said.

Younis was appointed vice-captain in place of Yousuf Youhana for the Indian tour and was given an extension till the West Indies tour. (PTI)