Srinagar: Former Pakistan captain Wasim Akram has lashed out at Pakistan cricket team management and selectors as the team suffered a huge defeat against India in the ICC Champions Trophy clash in Dubai.
Speaking on Sports Central after Pakistan’s loss against India in Dubai on Sunday, Akram said that fans have had enough with the promises and the anticipation of a positive outcome, calling for “drastic change.
” He first told PCB Chairman Mohsin Naqvi to question the selection committee on picking the Champions Trophy squad before urging management to identify fresh players and start their preparations for the 2026 T20 World Cup right now”.
“We need drastic steps. Enough is enough! We have been losing with the same players for years now in white-ball cricket. It’s time to take a bold step and bring in young players who play fearless cricket. If you want to make big changes, go for it. Give the new players six months, back them, and start preparing for the 2026 T20 World Cup. We have had enough. You gave them chances and made them stars. Pakistan bowlers took 24 wickets in the last five games but at an average of 60. The shocking statistic is that Pakistan’s bowling average is the second worst among 14 teams, which includes Oman and the USA, that played ODI cricket this year. What should we do now? The Chairman should return home, call the captain, coach, and the selection committee, and ask the latter what kind of selection they made. Did it look like Khusdil Shah and Salman Agha could have dismissed any Indian batter? We are screaming here, saying the squad is not okay. The Chairman told them to announce the squad with a day left. They had a meeting for an hour and walked out with the same team,” he said.
Akram also criticized Mohammad Rizwan’s captaincy and criticized the Pakistani players’ body language during India’s chase of 242.
“The captain is the leader of the ship. How will the team succeed if he doesn’t know which match-winners he needs? Pakistani players looked completely out of the game when India reached the 15th or 18th over in their chase. Fans leaving early is something I have never seen before. This is unfortunate,” he added.