All hell has broken loose. The knives are out. The Pakistan cricket team lost their ICC Champions Trophy opener against New Zealand. And the media and fans in the nation aren’t amused. The defeat was a collective failure. Barring a couple of good performances from Abrar Ahmed, Khushdil Shah, Naseem Shah, and Salman Ali Agha, all of the players underperformed.
Late hitting from Khushdil and the tail-enders saved Pakistan’s face. Of the 260 runs the Men in Green scored, the last five batters scored 115. That means they could have lost by 150 runs, not 60. Agha’s quickfire 42-run knock was fine, but Babar Azam’s sluggish knock was atrocious to watch and perhaps one of the main reasons they couldn’t chase the target.
Pakistan doesn’t deserve to play in Champions Trophy
Former Pakistan player Kamran Akmal is so disgruntled by the loss that he thinks that Pakistan should first prove they are a good ODI side by playing the likes of Zimbabwe and Ireland, who are currently playing against each other.
“There’s a series between Zimbabwe and Ireland going on. Pakistan should play against them. If they win against them, then they deserve to play in the Champions Trophy,” the wicketkeeper said live on air.
Pakistan should learn from New Zealand, says Kamran Akmal
Akmal then advised the Pakistan Cricket Board to learn from the New Zealand Cricket Board. To keep their backups ready, plan ahead and have a proper cricketing system. He also told the Pakistani players to take a leaf out of the Kiwi playbook when it comes to innings construction.
“New Zealand were three down (73/3 at 16.2 overs); see their maturity from there. They took their time, rotated the strike, and built a partnership. And then when they got full control of the innings, they broke loose. Rachin Ravindra was unfit; look at his backup. He (Will Young) scored a hundred. Look at their planning and system,” Kamran Akmal added.
