Karachi: A committee probing Pakistan’s embarrassing first-round exit at the World Cup has cited “poor leadership” from captain Inzamam-ul Haq as one of the causes.

The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) set up the three-member committee after the squad returned from the West Indies having lost to the hosts West Indies and minnows Ireland in the group phase.

The committee, headed by former Test player Ejaz Butt, delivered scathing criticism of Inzamam’s captaincy in its report. “Inzamam became an autocratic and introvert captain after The Oval fiasco last year and his refusal to go on the field was overlooked by then PCB Chairman Shaharyar Khan,” the committee said in its findings.

In the fourth Test against England at The Oval last August, Inzamam refused to lead his team out following the tea interval on the fourth day after Pakistan were docked five runs by umpires who decided they had tampered with the ball.

Inzamam stepped down as captain and retired from one-day Internationals after the World Cup. “The poor performance in the World Cup reflects an overall failure of management at all levels and the entire cricket system needs to be overhauled,” the report said.

“Inzamam failed to lead from the front and the chairman of the selection committee was also a weak and a pliant person. As a consequence, the team was chosen at behest of Inzamam,” it said.

“There was also serious doubts over Inzamam’s fitness to play one-day cricket over the past year,” the report said.

The committee, that also included Salahuddin Ahmed (who is now the chief selector) and Saleem Altaf also criticised the PCB for not handling the fitness and doping issues of the players properly.