PAK vs SL: Pakistan Will Struggle To Even Beat Netherlands: Ex-Wicketkeeper Slams Men In Green

It has taken just one defeat for high-flying Pakistan to face severe criticism from several quarters. Not very long ago, the Babar Azam-led side was hailed by many as one of the strongest ODI units in the world and were considered favorites for the ongoing Asia Cup 2023 as well as the upcoming ODI World Cup.

However, the humiliating 228-run defeat at the hands of India have completely changed the views of the fans and pundits regarding the Pakistan team. The Men in Green were thoroughly outplayed by their arch-rivals in the crucial Super 4 clash. The heavy defeat has exposed the issues in the Pakistan team such as overreliance on few players and the inconsistent middle-order.

India piled up a mammoth total of 356 for 2 in 50 overs thanks to centuries from Virat Kohli, and KL Rahul and half-centuries from Shubman Gill and Rohit Sharma. In reply, Pakistan showed little fight with the bat and were all out for a paltry total of 128 runs to suffer their biggest ODI defeat in terms of runs against India.

The defeat has also put Pakistan on the verge of elimination from the Asia Cup. With an NRR of -1.892, Pakistan will have to beat Sri Lanka at any cost in their final Super 4 game to advance to the final. In case the game is washed out, they will have to bow out of the competition and Sri Lanka will advance to the final.

Kamran Akmal slams Pakistan:

Several former Pakistan cricketers have openly criticized Pakistan for their horrendous performance against India and Kamran Akmal has joined the bandwagon too. Expressing his disappointment over the loss, the former Pakistan wicketkeeper has said that Babar Azam & Co. will even struggle to beat the Netherlands at the upcoming ODI World Cup.

“If you want a good performance in World Cup, if you want to play in Asia Cup final, and if you have this approach, you will struggle to even beat Netherlands. What is the management doing? Who told you to bowl first? At least tell players to stay on the crease. Your run rate has suffered badly. You chased 190-odd runs in 40-odd overs against Bangladesh,” Akmal said on his official YouTube channel.

“Send messages. The way Shadab, Iftikhar, Salman got out. You had to tell them to play the full overs, take the score to at least 260-280. They know the PCB won’t ask them tough questions. There’s no game plan, no approach. Everyone has gone for holidays. I’m sorry to say, you’ve performed like school boys against a top team,” he added.

Meanwhile, India have already booked their place in the final of the Asia Cup. They will play either Sri Lanka or Pakistan in the final on Sunday (September 17).