Legendary Pakistan pacer Wasim Akram has slammed the trend in the country of accepting mediocrity after he shared his views on debutant pacer Razaullah receiving a rousing welcome at the airport after landing in Pakistan after the drubbing they got in England.
England whitewashed Pakistan 3-0, with the Men in Green losing the first Test in Leeds by an innings and 103 runs, the second at Lord’s by 194 runs, and the third at Edgbaston by eight wickets.
Further to this, after the first two Tests, seven members of the team were sacked from the team, and two coaches were asked to go back home, while Mike Hesson took charge of the team in the middle of the series. In the third Test, the team welcomed some new faces, including fast bowler Razaullah.
Razaullah impressed with his raw pace and picked four wickets in the first innings. Then he impressed further with his batting skills, hitting nine sixes and four fours to slam 81 off 63 balls. He shared a ninth-wicket partnership of 121 with fellow paceman Mohammad Abbas.
He received a rousing welcome with garlands and flowers, with many of his villagers coming to receive him at the airport in Pakistan. Razaullah’s debut in first-class cricket came in 2025, and he gained fame for scoring a century for Peshawar, where he had opened the innings.
Pakistan's pace great Wasim Akram shared his thoughts on this and was angry at the mindset.
"Jara muh chhupake jao (hide your face at least). Go and celebrate at your home. Let me get this straight: you may bring the best coach in the world and the best chairman in the world, but the players are from here; they are the same. There are no new players. Let's talk about mindset: very talented. So, we got hammered by England- not lost, hammered. So he arrives in Islamabad with 5,000 people to welcome him. His whole village came to receive him with bouquets and garlands. This tells you the mindset. We have accepted mediocrity," Akram said at an event, with Waqar Younis by his side.
Pakistan will next face Sri Lanka at home for three T20Is from October 9, followed by an ODI tri-series that will also feature England.
