Karachi (AFP) – Pakistan’s first-round humiliation in the Twenty20 World Cup was attributed by the media and former players on team disunity and unfair selection.
The 2009 winners were eliminated when the USA-Ireland game was called off due to rain, marking Pakistan’s earliest-ever exit from a T20 World Cup.
They lost to arch-rivals India after an unexpected loss to the USA, who were playing for the first time. The lone match Pakistan won was against Canada.
“Pakistani players believe that their coaches will be fired if they don’t perform well, and nothing bad will happen to them,” former captain Wasim Akram stated in a broadcast following the team’s loss to India.
“It is time to keep the coaches and change the entire team.”
The team faced accusations of internal strife and that certain players were selected for the roster out of favoritism rather than merit during the campaign.
The management of the squad was also criticized by supporters and pundits for not selecting the best players for the World Cup.
Shadab Khan was selected to play because of his strong relationship with skipper Babar Azam, according to former player Kamran Akmal. This meant that leg-spinner Usama Mir, who leads the Pakistan Super League in wicket-taking this season, was left out.
“When you select players based on friendship, you’ll get these results,” Akmal stated to AFP. “Mir ought to have been on the team. It was a significant injustice.”
Pakistan’s World Cup warm-up was also tainted by reports of disagreement about the switch.
They drew 2-2 with a diminished New Zealand, fell 2-0 to England, and lost to Ireland.
The English-language publication The News stated that “some poor administrative and selection decisions in the run-up to World Cup resulted in the team’s inability to progress.”
“I am repulsed.”
After making it to the final of the last World Cup two years earlier, Pakistan had a sharp decline in performance in the 2024 tournament.
A Pakistani fan named Muhammad Asim declared, “I will not watch the World Cup any more. I am disgusted.”
The 19-year-old college student said that friendship was the primary factor in the skewed team selection process.
Additionally, after the squad lost to a new side like the USA, cab driver Salim declared that the team was “finished”.
There are demands for a significant overhaul of the team and administration because Pakistan is scheduled to host the Champions Trophy the following year.
Changes were on the horizon, according to Mohsin Naqvi, the chairman of the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) and the interior minister of the nation.
Following India’s defeat, he told local media, “The Pakistan team needs a major surgery.”
“We have to work hard to elevate the Pakistani cricket team to the top of the global rankings. The country is not prepared for a performance this poor.”
However, a former captain said that the board contributed to the issue.
Rashid Latif posted on the social networking site X, saying, “The PCB and its governing body needs to be sacked before we shift the blame to the players.”
These individuals are in charge of choosing the players. If heads didn’t roll, would they still?
