Pakistan’s captain Babar Azam throws his bat after losing his wicket during the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup cricket match between Pakistan and Canada at the Nassau County International Cricket Stadium in Westbury, New York, Tuesday, June 11, 2024. AP/PTI
Former India cricketer Virender Sehwag roasted the Pakistan cricket team after their ouster from the ongoing T20 World Cup where they could only manage to score four points from four matches.
After losing their opening match to USA in a super over, the Pakistan team was scrambling to make the cut as only two teams from the five-team group were to make it through to the Super 8 stage. But Pakistan then fumbled their chase against India, in what should have been an achievable target. Pakistan’s fate was sealed when rain prevented USA and Ireland game from happening.
Even in their final match, while chasing a target of 106 set by Ireland, Pakistan found themselves staring at defeat. They were at 62/6 at one stage before skipper Babar Azam guided them home with a 34-ball 32-run innings
Ever since their opening game defeat, there has been plenty of anger back home in Pakistan for the team.
Now former India cricketer Sehwag has also weighed in.
“How can you blame rain? Even if you had won, you didn’t deserve to go ahead. You would’ve lost in Super Eight stage. You wouldn’t have had easier opponents there. You need to realise that you are losing to first-timers, you don’t deserve to go ahead. You can’t chase 120 runs against India, score 113 with wickets remaining… how can you blame the rain?” Sehwag said Cricbuzz.
“For Babar Azam and Co, they will need to do a rethink after going back to Pakistan. What’s the way forward for this format. This team, they way they play, even if they get a good wicket, they may not be able to perform well against good teams. If Babar Azam wants to play the next World Cup for Pakistan, he needs to play in a better way. Besides him, there are a few more batters in that team who play at a strike rate that’s not suited for the T20 format.”
Sehwag also weighed in on ICC’s tendency to put India and Pakistan in the same group to get more eyeballs right at the start, and ensure that there is at least one India vs Pakistan encounter in the tournament since it can never been certain whether Pakistan qualify for the next round.
“In 2007, neither India nor Pakistan qualified for the second round. We were in different groups back then. Now, ICC will rethink on keeping India and Pakistan in a group and ensure they don’t keep a team that beats them!” Sehwag said.
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