IND vs PAK: Not Babar Azam or Mohammad Amir!! Ramiz Raja blames this player for Pakistan losing to USA

Former Pakistan cricketer Ramiz Raja lashed out at the Pakistani team management for not letting Fakhar Zaman face the first ball of the Super Over against the USA.

Pakistan was going head-to-head for the first time against ICC T20 World Cup 2024 co-hosts USA at the Grand Prairie Stadium in Dallas, Texas. The Men in Green were expected to come out on top against the Minnows but fate had planned something else for the Babar Azam-led side.

After letting the USA tie the score in the final ball of the 20th over, Pakistan went on to lose in this tournament's first Super Over. Mohammad Amir had bowled the decisive six balls after the regulation game but he didn't do enough for his team. Amir did everything possible to make sure the co-hosts left the stadium in Texas with happy faces.

Former Pakistani cricketers would immediately lash out on the team with Ramiz Raja also expressing his views about the team's performance.

Ramiz Raja's post on X matches Yuvraj Singh's thought process

Former Pakistan Cricket Board chief Ramiz Raja was fuming with the team's performance yesterday. He questioned the team management's thought process during the Super Over, claiming that they should not have let Iftikhar Ahmed take the strike.

#<!---->P<!---->a<!---->k<!---->v<!---->s<!---->U<!---->S<!---->A Wow ! this was not expected … why didn’t Fakhar Zaman take the first strike in the super over against a left arm bowler as It’s an easier angle for left handlers to take on than right handers!!

— Ramiz Raja (@iramizraja) J<!---->u<!---->n<!---->e<!----> <!---->6<!---->,<!----> <!---->2<!---->0<!---->2<!---->4

Ramiz Raja wanted to see Fakhar Zaman take the strike against USA's left-arm seamer Saurabh Netravalkar. That Zaman's left-hand batting would have been much more beneficial for Pakistan as he would have found it easy to score against a left-arm. Raja cryptically stated that Iftikhar Ahmed was not suited against a left-arm seamer as he sent a direct message to the management.

"Wow ! this was not expected … why didn’t Fakhar Zaman take the first strike in the super over against a left arm bowler as It’s an easier angle for left handlers to take on than right-handers!!" - Ramiz Raja wrote on X.

Even former Indian All-rounder Yuvraj Singh wrote the same thing on his X handle following USA's shocking 5-run win over Pakistan. The 2007 T20 World Cup winner, who himself was a left-hand batter, admitted that Fakhar Zaman would have caused a better impact as it would have been easier for him to hit through a left-armer's line.

How did the fans react to Ramiz Raja's tweet?

Pakistani fans inside the Grand Prairie Stadium were left shell-shocked after seeing their country lose to a team, which is playing its first T20 WC edition. The faces were dull and it was almost as if they had seen a ghost yesterday in Texas. The fans' reaction on social media, though, was much more furious.

Below Ramiz Raja's tweet on X, Pakistan fans expressed their sorrow by lashing out at the management and selector Wahab Riaz. One fan asked Raja to ask the same question to Riaz, who runs the team.

Another fan wrote that Pakistan is a sold-out team at the international level, claiming the cons like Wahab Riaz are heading the selection committee. The fan also questioned the presence of Mohammad Amir in the team after the spot-fixing he had committed in Lord's back in 2010.