Pakistan’s World Cup hopes are now in tatters after their third loss in a row. The Men in Green began their campaign with wins over the Netherlands and Sri Lanka before losing against India and Australia. And on Monday (October 23), they suffered a loss against Afghanistan too. It was their first-ever loss against Afghanistan in ODIs after winning the first seven meetings between the two sides.
Batting first, Pakistan scored 282 for 7 in the allotted 50 overs. Captain Babar Azam was the top-scorer after playing a 74-run knock while Abdullah Shafique (58) also scored a fifty. Towards the end, Iftikhar Ahmed (40) and Shadab (40) also played useful cameos to guide their team to a competitive total.
Wasim Akram slams Pakistan:
The score, however, was not enough to prevent a first-ever loss to Afghanistan in ODIs. Riding on a brilliant batting performance from the top four, Afghanistan chased down the total in 49 overs by losing just a couple of wickets. Rahmanullah Gurbaz (65) and Ibrahim Zadran (87) shared a brilliant stand of 130 runs for the opening stand to lay the platform for the successful chase.
Rahmat Shah (77) shared fifty-plus stands with Zadran and captain Hashmatullah Shahidi (48*) to take his team home. Following the humiliating loss, Wasim Akram has come down hard on the Pakistan team. The legendary bowler questioned their fitness after their sloppy performances on the field which was one of the main reasons behind the defeat.
“Looks like these guys are eating 8 kilos of mutton every day. Should there not be tests?” he told A Sports.
“It was embarrassing today. To reach 280-odd losing just two wickets is pretty big. Wet pitch or not, look at the fielding, and the fitness levels. We’ve been screaming for the last 3 weeks that these players haven’t undergone a fitness test in the last two years,” added Wasim Akram.
Speaking further, the former Pakistan captain also questioned the inconsistency in the leadership within the PCB. The former pacer pointed out PCB’s failure to have stable management. Akram opined that frequent changes in the management affected the team’s performance.
“Professionally you guys are getting paid, playing for your country. There has to be a certain criteria. Misbah, when he was coach, had that criteria. Players hated him but it worked. Fielding is all about fitness and that’s where we are lacking. Now we have reached that same position, where we will pray for ifs and buts to happen,” he said.
Legendary pacer @wasimakramlive lashes out at the Pakistan cricket team following their upset defeat against Afghanistan.#ASportsHD #ARYZAP #ThePavilion #CWC23 #ShoaibMalik #MoinKhan #FakhreAlam #MisbahUlHaq #PAKvAFG pic.twitter.com/RZSaVDSXIS
— ASports (@asportstvpk) October 23, 2023
The post PAK vs AFG: ‘These Guys Are Eating 8 Kilos Of Mutton Every Day’- Wasim Akram Slams Pakistan After Afghanistan Debacle appeared first on CricketAddictor.
