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Pakistan legend Wasim Akram launched a scathing attack on his national team after their disappointing six-run defeat to arch-rivals India in the T20 World Cup 2024 on Sunday. The low-scoring thriller, played at the Nassau County International Cricket Stadium in New York, saw India climb to the top of Group A.
Pakistan’s bowling prowess wasted
Pakistan won the toss and elected to bowl first, with Naseem Shah and Haris Rauf taking three wickets each. Despite Rishabh Pant‘s quickfire 42 runs, India were restricted to 119 in 19 overs.
In reply, Mohammad Rizwan provided a glimmer of hope with his patient 31, but Pakistan’s batting crumbled thereafter. Regular wickets sent their chase off track, and they ultimately fell short, scoring only 113/7 in their allotted overs. Jasprit Bumrah was instrumental in India’s victory, claiming three crucial wickets for just 14 runs.
Wasim Akram unloads frustration
Akram, visibly frustrated, criticized the Pakistani team’s lack of fight and basic cricketing sense in a post-match interview on Star Sports.
“Pakistan ko dushman ki zarurat nahi hai, ye khudi bahut hain [Pakistan doesn’t need an enemy, they have plenty themselves],” he said.
Akram questioned the team’s understanding of game situations and criticized both the batters and coaching staff for failing to provide proper guidance.
“Ab inke muh mein chusni daalenge kya hum. Ab inko batayenge situation awareness kya hai? Babar batayega, coach batayega [Now should we put a pacifier in their mouths? Now we have to explain to them what situation awareness is? Babar will explain, the coach will explain],” an angry Akram remarked.
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Akram particularly targeted Rizwan, highlighting his lack of intent and awareness.
“Pichle 8-10 saal se khel rahe hain ye batsmen. Ab Rizwan ko mai bataunga ki main bowler aaya hai ek over ke liye, wicket lene aaya hai. Aapne 10 over ke baad koi chauka nahi mara. Koshish bhi nahi ki. Toh 120 (target) bhi chase nahi hua. [These batsmen have been playing for the last 8-10 years. Now should I tell Rizwan that the main bowler has come for one over, to take a wicket? You didn’t hit a boundary after 10 overs. Didn’t even try. So even 120 couldn’t be chased],” he added.
Akram’s strong words reflected the deep disappointment felt by many Pakistani fans.
“Ab sharmindagi honi shuru ho gayi hai. As a Pakistani, I want to back the Pakistan team. Hadd hoti hai har cheez ki. [Now it has started to become embarrassing. As a Pakistani, I want to back the Pakistan team. But there’s a limit to everything]“, concluded the former Pakistan captain.
Babar Azam & Co. now faces an uphill battle to qualify for the Super 8 stage. They must win their remaining matches against Canada and Ireland by a significant margin to improve their net run rate.