Pakistan succumbed to a heartbreaking defeat against India in the ICC Men's T20 World Cup 2024 at the Nassau County International Cricket in New York on Sunday (June 9). While they had lost their tournament opener against USA in a Super Over, they were in a position to win against India but found a way to lose the game despite being 80/3 in 14 overs, chasing 120 to win.
Former Pakistan cricketers were understandably not pleased with the manner in which Pakistan lost. Ex-Pakistan captain Wasim Akram lashed out at the players, in particular Mohammad Rizwan for his lack of game awareness.
"They have been playing cricket for 10 years, and I can’t teach them. Rizwan has no game awareness," one of the best proponents of Swing bowling during his time, said on Star Sports.
"He should have known that Bumrah was given the ball to take wickets and that the wise thing would have been to play his deliveries cautiously. But Rizwan went for a big shot and lost his wicket."
"Pakistani players think that if they don’t perform well, the coaches will be sacked, and nothing will happen to them. It is time to keep the coaches and change the entire team," he added.
Wasim Akram Hints At Babar Azam-Shaheen Afridi Rift In Pakistan
Even though Akram did not name any players, he hinted at the rift between Babar Azam and Shaheen Afridi in the Pakistan dressing room.
"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 sit at home," he said.
Pakistan's loss to India has put them at the verge of elimination from Group A as they have now lost two matches in a row. They now need to win their remaining two matches and win them handsomely to better USA's net run rate (NRR) and also hope that co-hosts USA lose their remaining two fixtures.