Former Pakistan captains Wasim Akram and Moin Khan were brutal in their criticism of the Pakistan side after their 2023 World Cup defeat to Afghanistan.
In the match at Chepauk, Chennai, Afghanistan beat Pakistan for the first time in ODI history. Batting first, Pakistan made 282-7, but Afghanistan overhauled the total with eight wickets in hand and an over to spare.
In the A Sports show The Pavilion, Wasim Akram tore into the Pakistan side after their lacklustre effort on the field.
“It was embarrassing today,” said Wasim. “Irrespective of the moisture on the pitch, 280 is a big score. Just look at their fitness levels. We have been pointing out on this show for two weeks now that these players have not had fitness Tests for two years!
“Their faces look enormous,” he added. “They seem to be consuming eight kilos of mutton every day. There has to be a test at some level. Professionally … you guys are being picked, getting paid, playing for your country: there has to be certain criterion.
“I’m with Misbah [-ul-Haq] on that. When he was coach, he had that criterion. Players hated him, but it worked. Fielding is all about fitness, and that’s where we are lacking. It’s unfortunate, for all we can do now is pray, and resort to ifs and buts and calculate permutations and combinations that will help us qualify for the semi-finals.”
“You need to plan for the World Cup,” chipped in Wasim’s former teammate Moin Khan. “You have to decide whom to play, where to travel, whom to pick, where to try youngsters and the new players in the series ahead of the tournament.
“These cricketers looked drained out on the field. They were lethargic, fatigued today. Why did you have to travel to Sri Lanka in sapping humidity? You played a Test series there, then ODIs against Afghanistan, you accepted the hybrid Asia Cup model – and even there you did not try out your youngsters. You just did not prepare anyone.
“The people at the Pakistan Cricket Board have no idea about the sport. I do not know whom they seek advice from,” added Moin.
“There is a saying that one should judge a person by his advices. You need to find advisors who would think of the team and not their own jobs,” responded Wasim.
“From what I hear, there are about 70 to 80 people in the board whom no one knows in the cricket fraternity,” concluded Moin.
Pakistan sit in fifth place in the table after the defeat, with a game in hand over all but one of the teams below them. They face a tough task to qualify for the semi-finals, and next play South Africa on Friday, October 27.
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