NEW DELHI: The Pakistan cricket team has been facing severe criticism from former cricketers and experts since losing its first two games against the USA and India in the ongoing T20 World Cup. The Babar Azam-led team kept themselves in contention with a victory over Canada in their third game, but their fate regarding progression in the tournament hinges on the performance of other teams.
Commenting on the team's performance, former Pakistan batter Imran Nazir labeled Babar and his teammates as "cowards" and castigated them for making excuses.
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"I am sorry, but I am compelled to say that cricket is a game of the fearless. I haven't witnessed anyone as cowardly as this team [Cricket dileron ka khel hai. Yeh team jis tarike se khele hai, inse jyada buzdil cricketers aaj tak nahi dekhe]," Nazir remarked on a Pakistani TV show.
"I frequently discuss what new excuse they will be concocting now. There are no excuses in cricket. Irrespective of the pitch or conditions you are encountering, you are obligated to play," Nazir added.
"In a team where there's no middle-order batter who can rotate the strike, how can you anticipate that team to win the World Cup? This team failed to score 40 runs, despite having eight batters. First, ascertain what you possess. You neither have proficient batters nor adept bowlers, nothing," he added.
Apart from Nazir, Pakistan batter Ahmed Shehzad, who was also a participant in the discussion, shed light on Babar's subpar statistics in major competitions.
"When my stats started deteriorating, I went straight to domestic cricket. And your [Babar's] stats are not 'King' size. Nobody wants to retain you in the PSL team. International players are reluctant to join the PSL team you are part of because they say we will be under more pressure due to Babar playing. This is the truth," Shehzad said.
Shehzad suggested that Babar should participate in domestic cricket to improve his game.
"You should play in domestic cricket. I did and spent three years in domestic cricket. My performance improved after that. I am not implying that I will be selected for the national team, but it's a process. You have had five years of [international] cricket, but you did not elevate your caliber. Your cricket is stagnant. You know that you can't execute the aerial shots required in modern-day cricket. You will get out. You should toil in domestic cricket now," he suggested.
