Karachi, Aug 6 : The dismal and pathetic performance of the Pakistan cricket team in the ongoing tour of Sri Lanka has confused the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) and team management so much that cricketers played the first two one-day internationals without the logo of their official sponsor.

Pepsi Cola International is the official sponsor of the Pakistan cricket team and its logo is displayed on the shirts of players. But the PCB provided shirts without logos to the cricketers for the five-match one-day international series.

It has been learnt that a Sialkot-based company, which has the contract with the PCB, forgot to put the logo on the shirts and no PCB official took notice of it.

Before the Sri Lanka tour, Pakistan participated in the Twenty20 World Cup in England and as it was an International Cricket Council (ICC) event, the logo of the official sponsor was not allowed.

The Sialkot based company sent the same shirts to the Pakistan team for the Sri Lanka tour forgetting that it is not an ICC event. After realising this blunder, the PCB's marketing department, which is working without its director marketing, came into action and sent the shirts to the team management with the logo of the official sponsor.

Sources said that the officials of the beverages company expressed annoyance over the PCB's carelessness due to which its brand message for which they are paying the PCB a handsome amount could not be beamed to the audiences worldwide.

Sources further said that the officials of the sponsors threatened that such blunder in the future could force their disassociation from the PCB.

They added that it was only after the sponsor pointed out the irregularity that the PCB sent the logo with its `A' team which also left for Sri Lanka the other day to play matches against their counterparts. (ANI)