NZ vs PAK: Shoaib Akhtar Baffled By Pakistan's Decision To Bowl First Against New Zealand
Published - 04 Nov 2023, 03:55 PM | Updated - 23 Aug 2024, 10:04 AM
Former fast-bowler Shoaib Akhtar questioned the Pakistan team management and the captain???s decision to bowl first against New Zealand in the ongoing game at the ICC Men???s Cricket World Cup 2023.
The ongoing game is a must-win one for Pakistan whose semifinals hopes are hanging by a thread. With only 3 wins from 7 games, Pakistan cannot afford any more slip-ups in the competition. A loss in the ongoing game will very much dump them out of the competition and end their hopes of qualifying for the semifinals of an ODI World Cup for the first time since 2011.
Buoyed by the impressive bowling performance against Bangladesh in the last game, Pakistan captain Babar Azam won the toss and opted to bowl first. In their last outing, Pakistan had bowled out Bangladesh for a modest total of 204 runs before chasing it down in less than 33 overs.
Shoaib Akhtar slams Pakistan???s decision:
However, the Pakistan bowlers failed to justify their captain???s decision in the ongoing game. The likes of Shaheen Afridi, Hasan Ali Mohammad Wasim Jr, and Haris Rauf once again failed to do well with the ball as New Zealand piled up a mammoth total of 401 for 6 in the allotted 50 overs.
Devon Conway and Rachin Ravindra added 68 runs for the first wicket before the former departed. It was followed by an 18-run stand between Ravindra and Kane Williamson. The New Zealand skipper departed for 95 while Ravindra scored 108. Towards the end, the likes of Mark Chapman, Glenn Phillips, and Mitchell Santner came up with handy cameos to take their team to a 400-plus total.
And with Pakistan???s bowlers being taken to the cleaners, Shoaib Akhtar took to X to vent his frustration. Expressing his surprise over their decision to bowl first against a New Zealand side that is without a number of their main fast-bowlers, he wrote: ???I dont understand the Pak team management & the captain NZ With half their bowling injured, why won???t you bat first on a wicket like this to do what they???re doing to you now.???
I dont understand the Pak team management & the captain NZ With half their bowling injured, why won't you bat first on a wicket like this to do what they're doing to you now.
