Pakistan haven’t had the best start to their T20 World Cup campaign this year, losing two consecutive games with their semi-finals hopes hanging by a thread. The Men in Green couldn’t chase an under-par score of 131 runs yesterday at Perth vs Zimbabwe.
Former Pakistan pacer Shoaib Akhtar lashed out at Babar Azam for his poor captaincy after their defeat against Zimbabwe. On Thursday, Babar was unable to get going and was dismissed cheaply by the opposition. No one apart from Shan Masood looked in control.
Akthar felt that this batting lineup would not be able to produce consistent performances and termed Babar’s leadership as ‘bad.’ In his opinion, Babar should bat at No.3 instead of opening the innings. He also questioned the brand of cricket being played by them and the fitness of Pakistan pacer Shaheen Shah Afridi who hasn’t found any form of rhythm in this tournament.
In a video on his YouTube channel, he said:
“I don’t know why is it so hard for you guys to understand. I have said this before, and I am saying it again that with our top and middle order, we can achieve big success. We can’t win consistently. Pakistan have a bad captain. Pakistan are out of the World Cup. Nawaz has bowled the last over in the three games we have lost.”
Agar Zimbabwe hai toh khud he ho jaaye ga sab kuch?
Nahi, khud nahi hota, kerna parta hai.— Shoaib Akhtar (@shoaib100mph) October 27, 2022
“Babar should bat one down. Major flaw in Shaheen Shah Afridi’s fitness. Major flaw in the captaincy, and major flaws in the management. We will back you but what brand of cricket are you playing? You can’t just walk into a tournament and expect that the opposition will let you win,” Shoaib Akhtar further added.
Zimbabwe edge Pakistan in a low-scoring thriller
Even though Zimbabwe didn’t have an exceptional outing with the bat and just scored 130 runs, they came together as a bowling unit and used the conditions to their advantage. The man in form from Zimbabwe, Sikander Raza’s two overs were the changing point as he dismissed Shadab Khan, Haider Ali and the well-set Shaan Masood.
If Pakistan loses another of their encounters, they will officially be eliminated from the tournament. Pakistan and Zimbabwe will be in action on Sunday against the Netherlands and Bangladesh, respectively.
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