It’s as if the Pakistan cricket team’s world has fallen apart. They are coping blows left, right and centre. After their defeat in the USA vs Pakistan match of the ongoing T20 World Cup 2024 at the Grand Prairie Stadium in Dallas on June 6 (Friday), fans, supporters and even former Pakistani cricketers are making their disappointment heard loud and clear after the team's poor performance against an ICC Associate team.
After being asked to bat first, Pakistan struggled to accelerate and were limited to 159 for 7 in their allotted 20 overs, with left-arm spinner Nosthush Kenjige taking three wickets for 30 runs in his spell. In response, the USA matched the score, reaching 159 for 3, with key contributions from skipper Monank Patel, Aaron Jones and Andries Gous.
In the Super Over bowled by Mohammad Amir, the USA scored 18 runs, with eight coming from extras. Saurabh Netravalkar then maintained his composure, bowling brilliantly to concede just 13 runs, securing a famous win for the USA.
Former Pakistani Cricketers Lash Out At Team's Performance Against USA
Angry at the performance of their players, Pakistani fans and players are harshly condemning the Babar Azam-led side. From Ramiz Raja and Shoaib Akhtar to Waqar Younis, former Pakistan cricketers minced no words while expressing disapproval of the team’s performance.
Former Pakistani cricketer-turned commentator Ramiz Raja expressed surprise at the result and the fact that opening batter Fakhar Zaman did not take the strike considering that there was a left-arm bowler bowling the Super Over.
“Wow ! this was not expected … why didn’t Fakhar Zaman take the first strike in the super over against a left arm bowler as It’s an easier angle for left handlers to take on than right handers,” Raja Said.
Former Pakistani fast bowler Shoaib Akhtar also expressed his disappointment over the result and said that Pakistan repeated history as they lost in a similar fashion to Bangladesh back in the 1999 ODI World Cup.
“Disappointing loss for Pakistan. Not off to a good start. Losing to the USA, we repeated history after the loss to Bangladesh in the 1999 ODI World Cup. Unfortunately, Pakistan never deserved to win as the USA played really well and were in a commanding position right from the beginning," said Shoaib Akhtar in a video uploaded on his X account.
“USA grounded Pakistan in their opening game. History’s been registered. Pakistan looked exhausted and helpless in the field. Congrats USA for a thumping victory,” said Waqar Younis.