Ex Pakistani cricketers lash out at Babar’s team defeat

ISLAMABAD: Former Pakistan captain Wasim Akram lashed out at Babar Azam’s team after the former champions lost to lower-ranked Afghanistan in a sensational World Cup 2023 result in Chennai on Monday, saying the fitness lavels of the players left a lot to be desired.

Pakistan suffered their third successive defeat in the tournament as their semi-final hopes took a huge blow.

It was also Pakistan’s first defeat to Afghanistan in ODI cricket in the 8th meeting between the two sides. Fifties from Babar Azam, Abdullah Shafique and handy knocks from Iftikhar Ahmed and Shadab Khan propelled Pakistan to 282 in 50 overs on a tricky pitch in Chennai and it looked like Pakistan had enough on the board.

PAK vs AFG: Pakistan faces fan fury after Afghanistan’s win

“It’s embarrassing. Just 2 wickets, 280-290 is a big score. The pitch is wet or not wet. Fielding was… you look at the fitness levels. We have been discussing on this show that there has been no fitness test for the last 2 years. If I take the players’ individual names, they won’t like it. It looks like they are eating 8 kg of mutton every day,” Akram told a private news channel after Pakistan’s 8-wicket defeat.

Akram also said that the Pakistan players did not like the fitness tests that were place when they were handled by former head coach Misbah-ul-Haq but those tests helped the team do the basics right.

“There should be tests. Professionally, you are playing for your country, you are being paid. I am with Misbah. When he was coach, he had that criteria, players hated him. But, it worked for the team. Fielding is all about fitness, and it shows on the field.

“Now we have come to a stage, where we will pray, do ifs and buts, wait for other teams to lose, then we can reach the semi-finals,” he added.

Former captain of Pakistan team Shoaib Malik also blamed Babar Azam for the defeat against Afghanistan in the World Cup 2023.

Speaking on a private TV show, Shoaib Malik said Babar is a good batsman but not a good captain. Former cricketer Moeen Khan also supported the statement of Shoaib Malik and said that Babar led the Pakistan team in major events for four years but there was no improvement in his captaincy.

He said a captain needed to learn things with time.