The former Pakistan opening batter, Ahmed Shahzad, has taken a dig at their Test side after they were blown away for an innings and 47-run defeat against England in the opening clash of the three-match Test series at the Multan Cricket Stadium.
Pakistan was coming into the series on the back of their 2-0 series whitewash against Bangladesh at home, where they lacked the skillset and class with both bat and ball in hand. Winning the toss on one of the flattest surfaces, they decided to bat first and put up 556 runs in the first innings.
At that point, it was always supposed to be enough for the team to chase a victory, but they couldn’t given the visiting side ended up with over 800 runs in their only innings with the bat in hand. This led to a poor batting performance from the top order of the Pakistan side in the second innings, as the players received heavy criticism in the last few days.
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Babar Azam, the former captain of the side across formats, was removed from the leadership position, as Shan Masood was appointed as the red-ball captain just before the Australia tour in 20223. Since being appointed as the captain of the side, the left-handed batter has yet to record a win in the red-ball format.
‘Lagaan’ movie to help Pakistan side? The veteran takes a brutal dig
The former opener of the Green Brigade, Ahmed Shahzad, has joined the party where most of the former players of the country are going after this current Test side after their recent defeat against the Ollie Pope-led side. The home side also becomes the first and only team so far to register over 550 in a Test match and still ends on a losing cause by an innings margin.
Shahzad feels that the Lagaan movie, starred by Aamir Khan which was released in 2001 and was based on a cricket game, could end up helping the Green Brigade in the future.
In the movie, the local villagers locked horns against the British players for a club game, with the stipulation of the tax being revoked if the former goes on to win the contest. So, Shahzad wants the Shan Masood-led side to enjoy that movie and draw some inspiration from that.
“For motivation, I suggest the Pakistan team should watch the Lagaan movie. The issue is that in the movie, they had to pay it from their pockets. But you don’t have to do this, Pakistan Cricket Board has to do it.” Shahzad claimed in a video released on his YouTube channel.
That was the fourth-highest total in a Test when the team batting first lost the game. For the fifth time, Pakistan lost a red-ball game, having put on 500-plus in their first innings of the game. The innings and 47-run margin for the loss against England is the fifth biggest defeat for them at home.
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Since March 2022, when they got the better of South Africa at home, they have gone on to lose seven affairs and four drawn games, making it their joint-longest winless streak at home.
“We’re hurt by the results, hurt as a nation. But the beauty of the game is it always gives you another chance. Life gives you another chance. So the quick turnaround might be beneficial for us, and we’re looking forward to it.” The Pakistan captain remarked after the defeat.