Former Pakistan wicket-keeper batter Moin Khan expressed his concern over the Pakistan team’s camaraderie on the field as they prepare for the upcoming ODI World Cup in India. The Men in Green suffered a crushing defeat in their first warm-up match against New Zealand when they failed to defend their total of 345 runs in Hyderabad.
Except for the Pakistan openers, the batters, including Mohammad Rizwan, Babar Azam, and Saud Shakeel played an important role in the middle overs. However, the bowling attack, without Shaheen Afridi, failed to restrict the New Zealand batting order. New Zealand comfortably chased down the target in 43.4 overs with significant contributions from Rachin Ravindra, Kane Williamson, Daryl Mitchell, and Mark Chapman.
Speaking to Cricket Pakistan, Moin Khan feels that the team was scattered during the match, as the senior players were not involved with the captain on the field giving their suggestions on the game, which could be the reason behind the team’s failure in big games.
“I saw this 100%. The players look scattered, they were hesitant to even giving suggestions to Babar, whether it was Rizwan, Shadab, or Shaheen. It was visible that the team wasn’t gelled up. There were no discussions, and even if there were suggestions and Babar was following them, they weren’t working,” Moin Khan said.
Pakistan skipper Babar Azam has received criticism for his captaincy choices made during the Asia Cup 2023. The captain wasn’t at his fluent best in both batting and captaincy decisions which invited a wide range of controversies and many experts wanted senior players to step in for the team in crucial games.
There Are Difference But You Have To End Them To Perform Better – Moin Khan
Moin Khan also feels that Pakistan players are scared to face the Indian team and urges them to contribute to their fullest potential. He emphasized the importance of keeping a high level of body language during high-octane matches. He also mentioned that it is natural to have differences in the dressing room for the betterment of the team.
“Another thing was, against India, players are scared. And those who really are scared that their suggestions won’t work… that’s fear. As a cricketer, you have to play on your potential and you should contribute 100%. It’s okay if your suggestions go wrong, it happens. But your body language shows whether you want to win, and that wasn’t visible”.
“And I’m pretty there were some issues in the dressing room. And I know, in a professional environment, there are differences but you have to end them to perform better. You have to move on,” Moin Khan added.
After the Men in Green’s painful exit from the Continental event, there were indications that the mood in the dressing room was not the best. According to the reports in Pakistan Cricket, there is a rift in the dressing room, where the Pakistan Captain is encountering some resistance from other players but the players would look to put their past performance behind them to come good in the ODI World Cup in India.