Former Pakistan cricketers and experts have heavily criticized the national team following its losses to the USA and India in the ongoing T20 World Cup. Despite a win against Canada, the team’s fate in the tournament now depends on other results.
Imran Nazir, a former Pakistan batter, didn’t mince words, calling Babar Azam and his team “cowards” for what he perceived as making excuses rather than showing courage on the field. He emphasized the need for fearlessness in cricket and criticized the team for its lack of middle-order batters and inability to perform consistently.
“I am sorry, but I am compelled to say that cricket is a game of the fearless. I haven’t witnessed anyone as cowardly as this team [Cricket dileron ka khel hai. Yeh team jis tarike se khele hai, inse jyada buzdil cricketers aaj tak nahi dekhe],” Nazir remarked on a Pakistani TV show.
“I frequently discuss what new excuse they will be concocting now. There are no excuses in cricket. Irrespective of the pitch or conditions you encounter, you are obligated to play,” Nazir added.
“In a team where there’s no middle-order batter who can rotate the strike, how can you anticipate that team to win the World Cup? This team failed to score 40 runs, despite having eight batters. First, ascertain what you possess. You neither have proficient batters nor adept bowlers, nothing,” he added.
Ahmed Shehzad, another former player, echoed Nazir’s sentiments and pointed out Babar’s subpar statistics in major competitions. Shehzad advised Babar to focus on domestic cricket to improve his game, citing his own experience of revitalizing his performance through domestic cricket. He urged Babar to work on his skills, particularly in executing modern cricket shots, to progress as a player.
“When my stats started deteriorating, I went straight to domestic cricket. And your [Babar’s] stats are not ‘King’ size. Nobody wants to retain you in the PSL team. International players are reluctant to join the PSL team you are part of because they say we will be under more pressure due to Babar playing. This is the truth,” Shehzad said.
“You should play in domestic cricket. I did and spent three years in domestic cricket. My performance improved after that. I am not implying that I will be selected for the national team, but it’s a process. You have had five years of [international] cricket, but you did not elevate your calibre. Your cricket is stagnant. You know that you can’t execute the aerial shots required in modern-day cricket. You will get out. You should toil in domestic cricket now,” he suggested.
