Legendary Pakistan pacer Wasim Akram didn’t mince his choice of words to criticise the Pakistan team after their humiliating loss to Afghanistan in Chennai and this loss also registered their team’s third consecutive defeat in the marquee event putting them in a spot of bother to qualify for the final four of the competition.
Pakistan has lost three straight games, the most recent being a humiliating loss to Afghanistan last night in Chennai.
To make matters worse, the players are simply too one-dimensional, the captain and his ideas lack spark, and to make matters worse, the team has suffered a hat-trick of defeats and it will be a huge task for the Men in Green to qualify for the semifinals of the tournament.
Speaking on A Sports, Wasim Akram said that it was an embarrassing loss against Afghanistan. He slammed the team for their poor fielding effort in the ODI World Cup. He highlighted the fact that the team haven’t had any fitness standard in the last couple of years and took a dig at the players for their eating habits.
“It was embarrassing today. To reach 280-odd losing just two wickets is pretty big. Wet pitch or not, look at the fielding, and the fitness levels. We’ve been screaming for the last 3 weeks that these players haven’t undergone a fitness test in the last two years.
“If I start taking individual names, their faces will drop. Looks like these guys are eating 8 kilos of mutton every day. Should there not be tests,” Wasim Akram said.
Pakistan’s team needs to take a long, hard look at itself because fielding is directly correlated to a player’s level of fitness. With Pakistan’s chances of qualifying for the World Cup in jeopardy, they need to improve their fielding efforts to have a real chance to qualify for the last four stages of the marquee event.
Misbah Had That Criteria, Players Hated Him But It Worked – Wasim Akram
Wasim Akram feels that Players need more commitment to play for the country and highlighted the fact Misbah-ul-Haq that had some fitness standards in the team during his coaching stint and urged the players to improve their fielding in the remaining games.
“Professionally you guys are getting paid, playing for your country. There has to be a certain criteria. Misbah, when he was coach, had that criteria. Players hated him but it worked. Fielding is all about fitness and that’s where we are lacking. Now we have reached that same position, where we will pray for ifs and buts to happen,” Wasim Akram added.
Pakistan is now in fifth place in the standings with 4 points, and to remain in the race, they need to win 4 remaining league games apart from relying on the results of other teams. The Men in Green will look to up their game when they take on South Africa on Friday.
