Adam Gilchrist slams Saleem Malik over his criticism of Imad Wasim after India-Pakistan match

Former Australian wicketkeeper-batter Adam Gilchrist took a dig at Saleem Malik over his criticism of Imad Wasim after the 2024 T20 World Cup match between India and Pakistan. Saleem Malik accused that Imad Wasim deliberately wasted crucial balls during the run chase to make it more interesting.

Pakistan suffered a six-run defeat against Team India at the Nassau County International Cricket Stadium in New York on June 9. Pakistan was in a strong position with a score of 80-3 after 14 overs while chasing a target of 120. However, the Men in Green faltered towards the end, ending with a total of 113-7.

Imad Wasim came in to bat at No. 5 when the Babar Azam-led team needed 47 runs off 46 deliveries. The left-handed batter struggled to get into rhythm and managed to score only 15 runs off 23 balls, including just one boundary. Some former Pakistan cricketers criticized Wasim's batting performance in the match.

He Accused Imad Wasim Of Chewing Up Deliveries On Purpose - Adam Gilchrist

Speaking on the Club Prairie Fire podcast, Adam Gilchrist expressed surprise at Saleem Malik's comments about Imad Wasim intentionally slowing down the game to add intrigue.

“A bunch of ex-Pakistan cricketers haven't missed their teams, at all. I mean Saleem Malik, of all people...I'm just reading the comments and paraphrasing, and I haven't heard him say, but had I heard him, it wouldn't have been to my benefit because it was in Urdu," Gilchrist said.

"He accused Imad (Wasim) of chewing up deliveries on purpose to make it a bit more interesting. Now I don't know if there are other accusations which come with that,” he added.

Adam Gilchrist finding it ironic that a convicted fixer like Saleem Malik is accusing Imad Wasim of “underperforming deliberately” against India.

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Saleem Malik faced a life ban over match-fixing allegations in 2000, which was later overturned in 2008. He represented Pakistan in 103 Tests and 283 ODIs, scoring 5,768 and 7,170 runs, respectively. Malik was part of the 1992 World Cup-winning squad.

Keep Bettering His Batting Average - Saleem Malik

After Pakistan's loss to India in the T20 World Cup match, Saleem Malik alleged that Imad Wasim prioritized improving his batting average over team success. Saleem suggested that Wasim should have taken risks to score runs instead of playing dot balls.

"He [Imad Wasim] made sure he doesn’t get out and keep bettering his batting average. If I’m a batter and I’m not getting runs then I would try taking risk, no matter if I get out. But he kept on eating up deliveries and then changed the ends with singles,” Malik was quoted as telling 24 News Channel.

“Imad Wasim didn’t get to play much cricket since the last PSL... Sorry, but I would like to question why he [Imad Wasim] was promoted up the order, given that he hadn’t got enough chances before [the World Cup]. The batter should at least have tried something instead of playing dot balls,” Malik added.

Imad Wasim was dismissed by left-arm pacer Arshdeep Singh when Pakistan required 18 runs for victory. Arshdeep managed to concede just one run off the final delivery when eight runs were needed. The Men in Blue continued their dominance over Pakistan in T20 World Cups with a record of 7-1.

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