New York, June 10 (IANS) Former Pakistan fast bowler Waqar Younis has criticized the Babar Azam-led team for the six-run loss to India in the T20 World Cup clash, saying what he can comment on if the team cannot win despite eliminating the opposition for 119.
In chasing 120, Pakistan were 72/2 at the end of 12 overs with Mohammad Rizwan and Fakhar Zaman at the crease. But with the duo being dismissed in quick succession, Pakistan were strangled under pressure from India as the rest of the batsmen failed to rise to the occasion and finished at 113/7.
“I think India gave Pakistan a good chance of winning this game by batting poorly. They could easily have made maybe 140-150. Losing those seven wickets right at the end didn’t help much. However, India is a very balanced country side.
“If they don’t bat well, they know they have (Jasprit) Bumrah, (Mohammed) Siraj, Ravindra (Jadeja) – they have their bowling and fielding also very well controlled, which makes them a super team.
“Pakistan – if you can’t win this game, what am I supposed to say? This was given to you on a plate and Pakistan really poured it in. It was a horrible performance from the Pakistani batsmen. There were some partnerships early on but they couldn’t really finish the game,” Waqar told Star Sports after the match.
He also felt that wicketkeeper batsman Muhammad Rizwan should not have crossed the line against Jasprit Bumrah, a move that backfired massively when he was castled, which gave India the chance to roar and win the match, which is now the one with lowest success on total they have defended in men’s T20Is.
“The game was in hand, it was running the ball. That shot from Mohammad Rizwan was very ordinary, and when he played that shot and it came out, I knew something special was going to happen because we know the capabilities of Bumrah and Siraj,” he added.
Similar views were echoed by legendary left-arm fast bowler Wasim Akram. “They have been playing cricket for 10 years and I can’t teach them. Rizwan is unaware of the game. He should have known that Bumrah was given the ball to take wickets and that the sensible thing to do would be to play his deliveries cautiously. But Rizwan attempted a big shot and lost his wicket.
With Pakistan on the verge of an early exit, Akram directed his anger at batsmen Fakhar Zaman and Iftikhar Ahmed. “Iftikhar Ahmed knows a shot in the side of the leg. He’s been a part of the team for years, but he can’t hit. I can’t tell Fakhar Zaman about his knowledge of the game. Pakistani players think that if they don’t perform well, the coaches will be fired and nothing will happen to them. It’s time to keep the coaches and change the entire team.”
Akram concluded by revealing that captain Babar Azam and left-arm fast bowler Shaheen Shah Afridi have not been on speaking terms since the captaincy change made earlier this year. “There are players who don’t want to talk to each other. This is international cricket and you play for your country. Make these players stay home.”
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