Former Pakistan captain Wasim Akram expressed his displeasure over skipper Babar Azam accepting Virat Kohli’s shirt after Pakistan’s huge loss in the ICC ODI World Cup 2023. Wasim Akram emphasized that such gestures should have been private, not on the open ground.
The Babar Azam-led team suffered a crushing seven-wicket loss to India at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad on Saturday, October 14. The highly anticipated match between the archrivals turned out to be fairly one-sided, as Pakistan failed to put up a fight.
It Should Not Be Done In An Open Ground – Wasim Akram
Host Fakhr-e-Alam read a fan’s question about the shirt exchange between Virat Kohli and Babar Azam. In response, Wasim Akram emphasized that such exchanges should have been kept private, considering the disappointment of Pakistani fans after the loss.
“Everybody is showing this clip over and over again. But after your fans are so hurt after a disappointing performance, this should be a private matter, it should not be done in an open ground,” Akram said.
“That’s what I exactly said when I saw the picture [getting the shirts publicly, not privately]. Today was not the day to do this. If you want to do it – if your uncle’s son has asked you to get Kohli’s shirt – then do it after the game in the dressing room.”
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Suddenly We Had A Collapse – Babar Azam
Reflecting on Pakistan’s batting performance, Babar Azam mentioned that their collapse in the middle order hindered their plans. He acknowledged Rohit Sharma’s exceptional performance for India.
“We started well. We got a good partnership going. We just planned to play normal cricket and build partnerships, but suddenly we had a collapse in the middle order, and did not finish well. Not good for us. The way we started, we wanted to target 280-290, but the collapse cost us. And the total was not good,” Babar said.
“With the new ball, probably we are not upto the mark. Different game, different situation. Rohit (Sharma) was outstanding today. We tried to take wickets and win the match, but didn’t happen.”
The Pakistan team was in a good position at one stage with a score of 155/2. However, they then lost eight wickets in quick succession, managing only 36 runs. The Rohit Sharma-led team chased down a 192-run target with more than 19 overs to spare.
Also read: AUS vs PAK: Wasim Akram Criticises Mickey Arthur’s Post Match Comments, Says ‘That’s What We Want To Hear’
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