After Pakistan's shocking loss to the USA in the ongoing T20 World Cup 2024, former cricketer Kamran Akmal criticized the team and called it the "biggest insult" for the unit.
The United States surprised Pakistan in an enthralling contest that finished in a dramatic Super Over at Dallas' Grand Prairie Stadium.
The USA defied all odds to defeat the Men in Green in their first encounter of the season, outperforming Pakistan in every area of the game. There is no greater disrespect for the squad than this defeat, Akmal stated while condemning Pakistan's performance.
"The biggest insult for Pakistan cricket is losing the game in the Super Over. There can't be a bigger insult than this. The USA played exceptionally well. They didn't feel like a low-ranked side. It felt like they were ranked above Pakistan. That is the level of maturity they showed.
They deserved to win because they played better cricket than us. The face of our cricket has been revealed. It shows how we are taking our cricket forward,” Akmal said on his YouTube channel.
"It is a shameful performance from the Pakistan cricket team. If they lose against big teams like England, it is fine. If they lose after giving a good fight to the opposition, it is fine. But losing against a team who haven't played so many matches. What is shameful about the defeat is firstly drawing the game and then losing in the Super Over. This day will never be forgotten," he added.
Former cricketers, including former Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) chairman Ramiz Raja, have questioned the team's selection system. Akmal questioned the management, claiming that some members' preferences are considered throughout the selection process.
"Players are selected on liking and disliking. A player performed in the Caribbean Premier League (CPL), but what about the past three series in which he wasn't able to perform?" Akmal claimed.
On the other hand, Ramiz Raja said that the Pakistani team made a tactical blunder because Fakhar was the best player to take on Netravalkar.
"Left-arm batter plays a left-arm pacer better. Shadab (Khan) worked a lot to score those 40 runs. It doesn't mean he has form or can go in the crunch moments and score fours or sixes. We don't have fancy shots, we didn't use reverse flick or a ram shot. Fakhar Zaman got left at the non-striker's end. So tactically, this was a big mistake," Ramiz said on his YouTube channel.
After making an impact in the penultimate over of the second innings, Amir was given the ball in the Super Over instead of Shaheen Shah Afridi.
Ramiz questioned Amir's strategy, saying he should have stuck to his talents rather than attempting something "fancy".
"Pakistan made mistake after mistake in the selection and strategy aspect. Mohammad Amir tried to do fancy things his go-to ball is Yorker, but there was no control it was a dispirited performance. Nobody looked motivated to fight in the game," Ramiz added.
Pakistan will now play their bitter rivals India on Sunday at the Nassau County International Cricket Stadium in New York.
(ANI inputs)
