Many have criticised the Pakistani cricket team for their poor performance in the T20 World Cup 2024, with veteran Ahmed Shehzad criticising the choice to re-appoint Babar Azam as captain. Pakistan, drawn into Group A, lost their opening two games against the United States and India. They then defeated Canada by seven wickets, ending their chances of making it to the Super 8 round.
Babar resigned as captain of all formats following the Men in Green’s poor ODI World Cup campaign the previous year. He was, however, reinstated as the white-ball skipper by the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) earlier this year, taking Shaheen Shah Afridi’s place. Shehzad called PCB chief Mohsin Naqvi’s action the “worst decision” and expressed his extreme disapproval of the move.
Since Babar Azam was a seasoned captain, the PCB chairman made the worst choice in selecting him to be the captain once more. Shehzad informed Geo News that Wahab Riaz had behaved in an extremely unprofessional manner.
Within the team, there are cliques and a deficiency in leadership: Ahmed Shehzad
The criticism of the prior openers goes beyond the selection of skipper. He claimed that Babar, Haris Rauf, Afridi, Fakhar Zaman, and Muhammad Rizwan had received more opportunities than they deserved. In addition, he cited the existence of groupings and the absence of team leadership as factors that he believes have contributed to Pakistan’s demise.
“Babar Azam, Mohammad Rizwan, Shaheen Afridi, and Fakhar Zaman have been mainstays in their cricket team during the past four years. There’s Haris Rauf as well. They’ve been given more time than most people should. Shehzad continued, “And there are cliques inside the team, and a clear lack of leadership is evident.
Also read: Kamran Akmal makes shocking allegation about his brother Shehzad also blamed Babar and Rizwan for making personal records more important than raising Pakistan’s net run rate in their game against Canada. He argues that by playing for individual records instead of the needs of the team, they have damaged the game of cricket in the country.
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“They say we learn from our mistakes, but what lessons are you taking away from your mistakes? Rizwan scored the slowest fifty against Canada, and you needed to increase your net run rate. During a run-a-ball, Babar Azam scored 33. On the pitch, there were no devils. Personal achievements have ruined our cricket, and this is the reason for the state of our game. The only thing you have is social media generating king; you have no leadership. You’re playing politics, you don’t have any wins in the last five years, and your cricket game is becoming worse. Shehzad concluded, “You have only stuck to friendships.”
Pakistan will get ready for Sunday, June 16, when they play Ireland in their last group match. Now sitting third in the standings with two points and a net run rate of +0.191, the squad is in a precarious situation. India and the United States have already advanced to the next round, so Pakistan’s team must win for honour.
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