Former Pakistan skipper Wasim Akram lambasted Mickey Arthur, the team’s director over his comments on their loss against India in Ahmedabad, where they were outplayed by seven wickets in the match. The Men in Green were never in the game against India, letting the match down in a poor manner.
Wasim Akram’s response came after Mickey Arthur voiced his disappointment that the local supporters had exclusively cheered for India during the match. Speaking at the post-match press conference, The 55-year-old asked who is in charge of planning the ODI World Cup: the International Cricket Council (ICC) or the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI).
“Look, I’d be lying if I said it did. It didn’t seem like an ICC event to be brutally honest. It seemed like a bilateral series; it seemed like a BCCI event. I didn’t hear, ‘Dil Dil Pakistan’ coming through the microphones too often tonight,” Mickey Arthur said.
Speaking on A Sports, Wasim Akram questioned on the team strategies for the match, such as how they would tackle the threat posed by left-arm wrist spinner Kuldeep Yadav, rather than talking about extraneous subjects.
“Bhaiya hame ye batao aap logo ne kya plan kiya tha? (Brother, tell me what was the plan?) Kuldeep Yadav ko kaese khelna hai? (How did you prepare to play Kuldeep Yadav?) That’s what we want to hear. Not this random stuff. You think you can get away with this. No, you can’t, unfortunately,” Wasim Akram said.
The Men in Blue were supported by a crowd that numbered close to 1,25,000 in the Narendra Modi Stadium, the largest stadium in the world, where the Pakistan players might have felt the pressure in the game with a lot of stakes in Ahmedabad.
As A Coach, He Shouldn’t Have Said That – Moin Khan
Wasim Akram’s thoughts were mirrored by former Pakistan wicket-keeper batter Moin Khan also claimed Mickey Arthur shouldn’t have discussed the audience at all and feels that he should have been more professional in the field.
“[Mickey Arthur is] diverting attention. A lot of people are disheartened and you’re making them emotional. I think he should discuss what is his job as a professional rather than showing a new path. As a coach, he shouldn’t have said that,” Moin Khan said.
Pakistan will look to put this poor performance behind to come back stronger in the tournament. The next match for Babar Azam and the company will take on the five-time champions Australia place on October 20 at Bangalore’s MA Chinnaswamy Stadium.