Pakistan might get knocked out in the first round of T20 World Cup 2022, says Shoaib Akhtar: Pakistan on Thursday announced their 15-man squad for next month’s ICC Men’s T20 World Cup in Australia. Shaheen Afridi will join the team again after recovering from a knee injury. There was also a lot of pressure from fans and the cricket fraternity to pick Shan Masood, who has been in great form recently, and he too managed to find a spot.
Former Pakistan fast bowler Shoaib Akhtar has hit out at Pakistan’s chief selector Mohammad Wasim and head coach Saqlain Mushtaq after the squad was announced for the T20 World Cup 2022. Last Thursday, Shoaib Akhtar put a video on his YouTube channel, in which he inraged upon the selectors of the Pakistan team and the head coach of the team.
The Rawalpindi Express said that the chief selector had put forth a disappointing squad and the problem was the middle order, our middle order was exposed in front of Sri Lanka at the Asia Cup but the team is still unchanged.
Shoaib Akhtar on Pakistani team Selectors
Shoaib Akhtar started off with some heavy words, “It is said that average people like average people, and we cannot expect any extraordinary decisions from average people. Saqlain (Mushtaq) last played cricket in 2002, I don’t want to say this as he is my friend, but I don’t think he has any idea about T20 cricket. I don’t think this is your forte,” he added, “Meanwhile, Mohammad Yousuf is in the team. If he was, how could our batting not perform? Yousuf is an asset in the dressing room, but I don’t know how much he has a say in this team. Iftikhar Ahmed is Misbah Part Two. Mashallah, we had Rizwan and now he has Iftikhar for the company.”
Akhtar especially came down heavily on the selectors for not including Fakhar Zaman in the main team with Babar Azam as the opener, instead choosing him as a reserve player. “Fakhar Zaman, I have said this a million times that give six overs to Fakhar Zaman as the Australian conditions will suit him and keep Babar at the top,” Akhtar added.
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“If this is how you want to go to Australia, then Australia is not standing for you with flower faces. With this team, we might get knocked out in the first round itself. I am scared as our batting has no depth,” he maintained
He also mentioned the Pakistani skipper, Babar Azam, “Our captain is also not cut out for this format as he always looks for classic cover drives. He wants to look classic.” He later said, “I think if the Pakistani team did not perform well with this batting line-up in Australia or got exposed again, then I am telling you, not only the Pakistani selector, coaches but also Rameez Raja left (Chairman of PCB), he will not survive till November.”
He concluded by saying, “I reiterate that with this middle order, this World Cup is going to be very difficult for Pakistan. The first match is against a team like India and this time there are other teams too, not only India. Best of luck to the team but I’m really really really angry about the selection they have made.”
Pakistan is placed in Group B and will begin its quest for a second title against India on October 24 in Melbourne.