Pakistan's players pray together during overseas tours

Pervez Mir told a performance review meeting in Karachi that the players were not properly focused on cricket.

Pakistan were eliminated at the first round stage following defeats by West Indies and, more surprisingly, Ireland.

"I told the committee that the players, rather than pray privately, tried to make it a public spectacle," said Mir.

He claims that on one occasion a number of players gathered to pray in the galley of an aircraft rather than do so individually in their seats.

The importance of religion to the Pakistan team has grown in recent years.

Batsman Mohammad Yousuf, a former Christian, made headlines in 2005 when he revealed he had converted to Islam, resulting in him being publicly disowned by his mother

But last October, Pakistan Cricket Board chairman Dr Nasim Ashraf told the players not to make a public exhibition of their beliefs.

At the time, Ashraf said he accepted faith was a motivating factor for the team.

"It binds them together - but there should be balance between religion and cricket," he added.

The Habib Bank, meanwhile, has halted a new publicity campaign which featured players Younis Khan and Shahid Afridi.

It followed a number of instances of posters and billboards being defaced by fans angry and the team's poor performance in the Caribbean.

"We decided to suspend this campaign because of the prevailing mood," said bank spokesman Abdul Raquib.