Pakistan’s legendary pacer Wasim Akram openly criticized the national team after their defeat to India in the Asia Cup 2025 Super Four clash. Although Pakistan delivered a slightly better performance compared to their earlier game against India, they still ended on the losing side.
Akram was clear that India had dominated across batting, bowling, and fielding. He pointed out that Pakistan’s overall standard was not matching up to the level required in high-pressure contests. “India outplayed Pakistan in all three departments, and it has happened over the last four or five years. We (Pakistan) have only won once or twice, here and there,” Akram said .This remark highlighted his concern about Pakistan’s lack of consistency and inability to match India’s progress over recent years.
Concerns Over Batting And Domestic Cricket
Wasim Akram focused sharply on Pakistan’s batting performance. “Pakistan’s batting – From 91/1 in 10 overs to 171 (in 20 overs) is not good enough. You should get to 200,” Akram said. According to him, the middle and lower order could not maintain the momentum after a strong start, which cost the team a competitive total. He further explained that Pakistani players lacked the ability to handle spinners effectively and to build longer innings.
For this, he strongly recommended more involvement in domestic red-ball cricket, which develops discipline and skills. “There are many flaws in there. They (Pakistan players) have to play a certain amount of red-ball cricket. That’s how you’ll be able to improve and read spinners out of the hand,” Akram added. His emphasis on first-class cricket reflected his belief that short-format success requires a solid base in the longer version of the game.
Bowling Strategy And India’s Dominance
Akram did not spare Pakistan’s bowling department either. He felt that their strategy against India was poorly planned and failed to create pressure at the right time. “When you’re defending against such a strong side and you have a good score on the board, what should you do? You need to give your main bowlers a couple of overs, be it Shaheen Afridi or whoever. But you gave Abrar Ahmed three overs out of seven. The game was over by then,” Akram said.
His comments underlined the lack of tactical awareness shown by the management. Meanwhile, India chased the 172-run target with ease, largely due to Abhishek Sharma’s explosive 74 off 39 balls, which earned him the Player of the Match award. The win kept India unbeaten in the tournament, while Pakistan now face the tough task of winning all their remaining games to reach the final.
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