Legendary fast bowler Shoaib Akhtar expressed his deep disappointment with Pakistan’s performance after they suffered a 62-run defeat against Australia in the ongoing ICC Cricket World Cup 2023 on Friday.
The 'Rawalpindi Express' also lamented at the lack of hunger and desire in the Pakistan cricket team, as they easily gave up and lost their last two matches against India and Australia in the tournament by big margins.
Pakistan captain Babar Azam has been struggling to get going after promising starts in the CWC 2023, and Akhtar emphasized the importance of the star batter stepping up in crucial matches to justify the “big player” tag.
He also questioned whether the Men in Green deserved to make it to the semifinals. The former Pakistani pacer also slammed the poor planning for the mega event.
Shoaib Akhtar said on his YouTube channel: “Babar Azam is a great player, but again, you need to play a great innings. You can't make yourself a big name by not scoring against big teams. If you want to prove that you are a big player, you have to score runs in big games. You shouldn't lose hope.”
He added, “To bring Iftikhar Ahmed as the first change (in bowling), Usama Mir's dropped catch, all this is beyond my understanding. What is the management thinking? Pakistan's (semi-final) chances are looking grim. You still have to play England, New Zealand and South Africa. I have a question. Does this Pakistan team deserve to play in the semi-finals? Thoroughly disappointed.”
