Former Pakistan captain Moin Khan has made explosive remarks about the Men in the Green side, opining that the players are scared to play against India and the dressing room issues are affecting the unit.
Pakistan were outclassed by New Zealand in the first warm-up match in Hyderabad. Pakistan batted first and posted 345/6 with Mohammad Rizwan scoring a century. Babar Azam (80) and Saud Shakeel (75) also scored valuable runs.
But New Zealand achieved the target with over six overs remaining, with five wickets intact. Rachin Ravindra made 97 and Kane Williamson, Daryl Mitchell and Mark Chapman scored half-centuries.
Babar had also acknowledged that there were differences in opinion but no argument, but former Pakistan wicketkeeper Moin Khan believes the Pakistan team looked “scattered.”
“I saw this 100%. The players looked scattered, they were hesitant to even giving suggestions to Babar, whether it was Rizwan, Shadab, or Shaheen. It was visible that the team wasn't gelled up. There were no discussions, and even if there were suggestions and Babar was following them, they weren't working,” Moin told Cricket Pakistan.
The former wicketkeeper-batter also alleged that the Pakistan players looked “scared” against India, and didn't contribute at their optimum potential as a result.
“Another thing was, against India, players are scared. And those who are scared that their suggestions won't work... that's fear. As a cricketer, you must play on your potential and contribute 100%. It's okay if your suggestions go wrong, it happens. But your body language shows whether you want to win, and that wasn't visible. And I'm pretty sure there were some issues in the dressing room. And I know, in a professional environment, there are differences but you have to end them to perform better. You have to move on,” said Moin.
Pakistan will play another warm-up game against Australia on October 3 before starting their campaign in the tournament proper against the Netherlands on 6. Both matches will be played in Hyderabad.
