“If Captain’s Weak, Selfish…”: Akhtar’s Unfiltered Swipe At Pakistan Team
Legendary pacer Shoaib Akhtar lost his cool on live television after Pakistan suffered yet another Test defeat, going down to England by an innings and 47 runs in Multan on Friday. Addressing the crisis in Pakistan cricket, Akhtar didn’t mince his words while calling out the players and management. The former pacer suggested Pakistan’s cricket has been on a downward trajectory over the last decade or so, and even went on to claim that the current crop of players are “not good enough”.
“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 said during a live discussion on PTV Sports.
Akhtar also addressed the possibility of Pakistan losing its Test status, calling the situation as “disheartening”. He also warned the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB), urging chairman Mohsin Naqvi to take harsh steps for the betterment of cricket in the country.
“Fans are saying that Pakistan should withdraw from WTC. I saw some comments. 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,” he added.
Pakistan’s cricket has been hampered by the reports of groupism within the team, mainly due to multiple players eager to take over captaincy.
Speaking on the matter, Akhtar admitted that when the management is afraid of the captain, issues like groupism will continue to harm the progress of the team.
“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,” Akhtar further explained.
It’s been 1,331 days since Pakistan last won a Test match. One would have to go back to February 2021 for Pakistan’s last Test win, which came at home against South Africa in Rawalpindi, under the leadership of Babar Azam.