Bowling legend Wasim Akram has lambasted Pakistan for their deplorable performance in their highly anticipated T20I World Cup clash against India on Sunday in New York. Despite being in the match completely, Pakistan led their chase in a desultory fashion in the latter half of the game, with reliable players such as Iftikhar Ahmed, Fakhar Zaman and Imad Wasim stumbling to come to the fore to take their country to victory over their arch-rivals India.
“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 on Star Sports.
Chasing a modest total of 119, Pakistan commenced their innings brightly and were on course for a tremendous victory, but the monstrous bowling attack from Jasprit Bumrah and Hardik Pandya sparked Pakistan’s collapse, dismissing their robust players in quick succession. Veteran batter Mohammad Rizwan was leading Pakistan’s chase smoothly, meanwhile Bumrah’s heroic put an end to Rizwan’s batting once he tried to intensify his attack. Iftikhar Ahmed, one of the most experienced batters in the side, too couldn’t do anything as Pakistan succumbed to their six-run defeat, finishing on 113/7 in 20 overs.
“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. 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,” he said.