Ganesh Kendale
Shoaib Akhtar expressed disappointment following Pakistan’s humiliating defeat to England by an innings and 47 runs in Multan. Speaking on PTV Sports, Akhtar criticized the players and management, saying Pakistan cricket has been in decline for over a decade and questioned the current squad’s quality.
“You will reap what you sow. Over the decades, I have seen the decline.The situation is disappointing. Losing is fine, but the game should be close. However, what we saw over the past two days, they completely gave up hope. This shows that we aren’t good enough. England scored 800+ and Bangladesh also beat you,” Akhtar stated.
Akhtar raised concerns about Pakistan’s Test status and their position in the World Test Championship (WTC). He urged Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) chairman Mohsin Naqvi to take immediate action.”Fans are saying that Pakistan should withdraw from WTC. ICC must be thinking ‘should we send teams to Pakistan and keep their Test status alive’. It’s just disheartening. This is going to hurt Pakistan cricket, fans, and the upcoming talents. I want to request the PCB to sort out this mess,” Akhtar stressed.
He also discussed issues within the team, pointing to leadership conflicts and management fears affecting unity.
“If your management and captain are weak, there will be groupism. If the captain is selfish, there will be groupism. Same is the case if the coaches are afraid of the captain. The captain calls the shot when it comes to selection. This has been the culture since my playing days,” he said.
