Pakistan's opener Ahmad Shahzad has taken a dig at grouping within the team as well as skipper Babar Azam and wicketkeeper-batter Mohammad Rizwan for the national side's humiliating exit from the T20 World Cup 2024 at the group stage.
Speaking to Geo News, Shahzad dissected the Men in Green’s poor performance in the mega T20 event, saying Babar and Rizwan were primarily to blame for it.
“The lot of 6-8 people including the skipper should be held accountable as their dismal performance downgraded Pakistan,” he said.
He asserted that the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) should remove the bunch of “dosti yaari” players right away from the squad.
Slamming the senior players, the cricketer asked the board management to put them to play in the domestic circuit. If a crackdown was not launched on the group even now, then a good team was out of the question, he said.
Pakistan were eliminated from the T20 World Cup 2024 after the United States vs Ireland match was called off due to a wet outfield at the Central Broward Regional Park, Florida, on Friday.
The Green Shirts have one more match to play against Ireland but that would be a formality as they are now out tournament.
Cricketer Shahzad blamed Babar and Rizwan’s personal milestones for the national side's poor show throughout and especially in the mega tournament. Reinstating Babar as a captain was an awful blunder, he said.
“The fake king and the group of 6-8 people should be axed from the team,” he emphasised.
Shahzad offered his services for the team saying “if selectors believe I am a better choice, then I am available for the team”.
Cricket analyst Sikandar Bakht also echoed Shahzad’s statement saying that Babar should be replaced as a captain as he lacked leadership skills.
However, he said, some talented boys should be retained.
Meanwhile, commenting on the team’s performance former cricketer Imran Nazir said the amount of pressure under which Pakistan played, they did not deserve to advance into the Super 8 stage.
Additionally, Pakistan opener Imam Ul Haq advised strengthening Pakistan’s domestic cricket, recommending an increased remuneration for the domestic players.
He found faults with spinners and middle-order batters saying they could not perform for a long time.