The one-day series defeat to Australia in Dubai and Abu Dhabi has drawn sharp criticism from former players and officials.

There has been debate over team selection, pitches and lavish spending by the Cricket Board on government dignitaries in the time of its financial crunch.

Former Chief Selector Salahuddin Ahmed said he would hold Chief Curator Agha Zahid, team coach Intikhab Alam and assistant coach Aaqib Javed responsible for the preparation of poor quality pitches for the five one-day games that produced low scoring matches and saw Australia clinch the series 3-2.

"Someone should ask these people what thought process went into preparing such poor pitches when they were sent to Dubai and Abu Dhabi to ensure pitches were made according to the team's strength," Ahmed said.

Moin surprised by team selection

Former Test captain Moin Khan said he was surprised at some aspects of the team selection and wondered why pace bowler Umar Gul was dropped for the crucial fourth one-day international.

"I also can't understand why they didn't play an in-form player like Fawad Alam in the series when the batting was not clicking."

He said Pakistan team had performed below par and disappointed its fans despite claims before the series that the team could win the series.

Former Test pacer Sarfaraz Nawaz said he was shocked at the repeated statements of captain Younis Khan and coach Intikhab Alam that the team was young and would learn a lot from the series.

"International cricket is not played to learn things from the opposition. And people expect the team to win. People are fed up of these excuses because our team was far more experienced than the Australians who blooded several new players. So what is this excuse of we having a young team," Nawaz said.

The former bowler said no one could say that Salman Butt, Kamran Akmal, Shahid Afridi, Misbah-ul-Haq, Younis Khan, Shoaib Malik, Shoaib Akhtar, Umar Gul, Rao Iftikhar or Sohail Tanvir were inexperienced.

Board members interfered in team selection

"I think the combined matches played by Shoaib Akhtar, Shoaib Malik, Younis Khan, Akmal is far greater than the combined total of the Australian team," he added.

Nawaz said it was time that Board Chairman Ejaz Butt rose above petty politics and gave former great Javed Miandad more responsibility and authority in the Board.

"Why is a great cricket brain like Miandad being sidelined? He is the right man to lift the performances of this team," he said.

At the same time questions are being asked over why the Board spent over 20 million rupees on just inviting government dignitaries and their families and governing council members to the Emirates for the matches.

"When it was obvious that we are going to earn little from this series why waste funds which can easily be used for more beneficial purposes," former Chief Executive Arif Abbasi said.

They are also questions being asked as to why were special cash awards announced for Shahid Afridi and Kamran Akmal for taking six wickets in the first match and scoring a century in the final match when overall the team had fared so poorly.

"The central contracts the Board has with the players has clauses for awarding special cash bonuses to players who give outstanding individual performances.

"So if these awards were given as part of the contracts what is the need to announce them and make us the laughing stock at a time when we have lost a series we should have won," another former Board official said.

Former Test captain Inzamam-ul-Haq also made it clear that Pakistan had lost a golden opportunity to beat a weakened Australian team in near home conditions.

Media has also reported on Monday that some board members interfered in the team selection leading to the continued selection of pacer Yasir Arafat for three consecutive matches in which he didn't take a single wicket.