Karachi, Sep 19 : A Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) official has said that one of the reasons behind the national team’s impressive performance at the Twenty20 World Cup is the absence of trouble-making pacer Shoaib Akhtar.

Though squad stunned by the circumstances surrounding Shoaib’s exit from the team, Pakistan players took little time to recover, the official said speaking on the condition of anonymity.

Commenting on Shoaib’s dressing room spat with Mohammad Asif, the official said, "What happened in South Africa was unfortunate, but in a way it was a blessing in disguise."

"With Shoaib’s ouster, the atmosphere in the dressing room is much better and I believe that is one of the reasons why our team is playing really well in the tournament," The News quoted the official, as saying.

Pakistan recorded two comprehensive wins over Sri Lanka and Australia, and became the first team to reach the semi-final of the Twenty20 World Cup. (With inputs from ANI)