Pakistan suffered a heartbreaking six-run defeat at the hands of India in a T20 World Cup 2024 match at Nassau County International Cricket Stadium, New York on Sunday (June 9).
Invited to bat first, India suffered a mid-innings collapse on a tricky two-paced pitch, resulting in a disappointing total of 119 all-out in 19 overs. Wicketkeeper-batter Rishabh Pant was the top scorer with 42 off 31 balls.
In reply, the Men in Green were cruising at one stage, needing just 48 runs from as many balls with eight wickets in hand. However, the Indian pace battery, led by Jasprit Bumrah (3-14) and Hardik Pandya (2-24), staged a remarkable comeback and restricted Pakistan to 113/7 in 20 overs.
Disappointed with Pakistan’s failure to chase down a small total, former captain Wasim Akram called for a complete makeover of the team.
Speaking on Star Sports, Akram didn’t mince his words as he slammed the likes of Mohammad Rizwan, Iftikhar Ahmed and Fakhar Zaman for lacking the game awareness.
“They have been playing cricket for 10 years, and I can’t teach them. Rizwan has no game awareness. He should have known that Bumrah was given the ball to take wickets and that the wise thing would have been to play his deliveries cautiously. But Rizwan went for a big shot and lost his wicket,” Akram said.
“Iftikhar Ahmed knows one shot on the leg side. He has been a part of the team for years but doesn’t know how to bat,” he added.
While he refrained from mentioning names, Wasim Akram demanded the sacking of a few players who ‘don’t want to talk to each other’.
“I can’t go and tell about the game awareness to Fakhar Zaman. Pakistani players think that if they don’t perform well, the coaches will be sacked, and nothing will happen to them. It is time to keep the coaches and change the entire team,” the legendary pacer stated.
“There are players who don’t want to talk to each other. This is international cricket, and you play for your country. Make these players sit at home,” he further remarked.
This was Pakistan’s second successive defeat in the ongoing T20 World Cup. The Babar Azam-led side had lost to USA in the first match and their chances of reaching the Super 8 are now very slim.
Pakistan’s next match is scheduled against Canada in New York on Tuesday (June 11).
