Shoaib Akhtar, PSL
Shoaib Akhtar [Image Credits: Google]

Former fast bowler Shoaib Akhtar has lambasted Pakistan‘s “shameful performance” in the recently-concluded series against England where the visitors were white-washed 3-0 by a second-string England outfit which was assembled just 2 days before the start of the series as the COVID-19 had hit the original squad.

On Tuesday in Birmingham in the third ODI, though Pakistan put up a better performance with both bat and ball compared to the previous two ODIs, they couldn’t stop the English batters from chasing down 332 with a couple of overs to spare. 

Ben Stokes, England, Eoin Morgan
England white-washed Pakistan 3-0 in the ODI series.  [Image-Getty]
Shoaib Akhtar lashes out at the “average” board, management, and players for their embarrassing series loss.

“It’s a shameful performance. Our board is average. It brings average people, the management is average so obviously, they are going to build an average team. You can’t expect extraordinary things from average people. It’s wrong for you to expect,” Shoaib Akhtar said on his YouTube channel.

“Crowd are coming to the ground but after watching such performances, the fan following will never grow. There is no star to inspire the youngsters. Then how can you bring the next Shoaib Akhtar, Shahid Afridi or Wasim Akram? You have to build brand,” he added.

We are playing 70s cricket because our mindset is like that: Shoaib Akhtar

Shoaib Akhtar laments the batting which has been a disappointment for Pakistan in this series. They were bowled out for less than 200 in the first couple of ODIs, and in the third, on the back of Babar Azam’s 158 they posted a par total on a batting-friendly surface.

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The former speedster opines that Pakistan batters go into a shell after they lose one or two early wickets, and try to accelerate only at the death overs. This compared to England’s gung-ho approach throughout the innings is what Shoaib Akhtar believes Pakistani batsmen should learn.

Pakistan's captain Babar Azam (Photo by PHILL MAGAKOE / AFP) (Photo by PHILL MAGAKOE/AFP via Getty Images)
Pakistan’s captain Babar Azam (Photo by PHILL MAGAKOE / AFP) (Photo by PHILL MAGAKOE/AFP via Getty Images)

“Why this England team is doing so much better than us? Our mindset after we lose a couple of wickets is to bat steadily, build partnerships and then only try and attack in the last 10 overs. This is 70s cricket. We are stuck in the 70s. England say even if we are bowled out in 40 overs we will make sure we get 300.

“Every England batsman that walked in, kept the scoreboard moving and it was not mindless slogging. It was methodical hitting, there was rotation of strike. But we are playing 70s cricket because our mindset is like that, we don’t want to improve,” the 45-year-old former pacer stated.

The Men in Green will look for their first victory of the tour in the T20I series starting Friday in Nottingham.

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