Wasim Akram, the legendary Pakistan bowler, couldn’t understand why the Men in Green couldn’t chase down 120 against India in their T20 World Cup match in New York on Sunday, June 9. Pakistan could only produce 113/7 and suffered their second defeat of the tournament.
Jasprit Bumrah was India’s best bowler, with fantastic statistics of 3/14 that included significant wickets for Babar Azam, Mohammad Rizwan, and Iftikhar Ahmed. Ifthikar was unable to blast a full toss from Bumrah over square leg, as Arshdeep Singh made an excellent catch.
Following the game, Wasim Akram spoke with Star Sports about Iftikhar Ahmed and the Pakistan players:
“Iftikhar Ahmed knows one shot on the leg side. He has been a part of the team for years but doesn’t know how to bat. I can’t go and tell about the game awareness to Fakhar Zaman. 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.”
Wasim Akram
Akram also unexpectedly revealed that Babar Azam and Shaheen Afridi haven’t spoken since the fast bowler was removed as T20I captain, which he believes has split the squad internally.
“He has no game awareness” – Wasim Akram on Mohammad Rizwan
Wasim Akram was perplexed to see Mohammad Rizwan try to dismiss Jasprit Bumrah when the latter returned for his third over. Rizwan lost his stumps while attempting to slog Bumrah, providing India with the crucial opportunity they needed while defending 40 runs off 36 balls.
On this, Akram said:
“They have been playing cricket for 10 years, and I can’t teach them. Rizwan has no game awareness. 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.”
Wasim Akram
Pakistan finds itself in a precarious position as they must secure wins in their remaining matches by substantial margins. The unpredictable twist of fate rests on their ability to deliver standout performances and receive support from other outcomes.
