T20 World Cup 2024: "Just to divert attention..." - Ahmed Shehzad's shocking allegations rock Babar Azam's Pakistan

Former T20 World Cup champion Ahmed Shehzad took a dig at Babar Azam ahead of the T20 World Cup 2024, scheduled to be played in the West Indies and the United States of America (USA). Ahmed Shehzad stated that Saim Ayub has been in the Pakistan team despite his many failures to divert attention.

The Babar Azam-led team suffered a 2-0 loss against England in their final bilateral T20I series ahead of the T20 World Cup. The Pakistan batters failed to deliver in the T20I series in preparation for the ICC tournament. It is worth mentioning that two matches in the recent series were abandoned due to rain.

Ahead of the England series, Pakistan also suffered a loss in the first T20I match against Ireland before winning the remaining two games to secure the series victory. The Men in Green drew the five-match series 2-2 against a second-string New Zealand team at home in the last month under Babar Azam's captaincy.

Just To Divert Attention - Ahmed Shahzad

In a conversation with Geo Sports, Ahmed Shahzad criticized the selection of Saim Ayub despite his poor performance. Shahzad also mentioned that players like Azam Khan, Iftikhar Ahmed, Naseem Shah, Imad Wasim, and Mohammad Amir were included so they could be blamed for any losses.

"You have kept Saim Ayub in the team despite his many failures just to divert attention. You have put Azam Khan, Iftikhar Ahmed, Saim Ayub, Naseem Shah, Imad Wasim, and Mohammad Amir in the team so that all the blame for the losses can be placed on them," Shahzad said.

It's Nearly Impossible - Ahmed Shahzad

Ahmed Shahzad criticized the team's false claims of playing aggressive cricket. The former batter stressed the need for strong opening partnerships. Shahzad stated that Babar Azam is not following instructions from the team management.

"No matter what combination you choose without a strong start from your openers no one can do wonders, it's nearly impossible to achieve a target with 13 runs per over who come to bat in the last few overs. They always claim they will play aggressive cricket from now on, but it’s misleading," Shahzad added.

"Mohsin Naqvi clearly stated in Dublin that we need to play aggressive cricket to score over 200 runs. He said not to worry if we get out for 110 or 120 runs but to go aggressive. Have you noticed if our captain has followed that directive? It seems like your captain isn't taking Mohsin Naqvi seriously nor is he following any instructions from the team management. Babar Azam is just trying to carry this team as he has been for the last four years. If this continues even putting Iftikhar in the one-down position won’t help you," he concluded.

Pakistan will commence their T20 World Cup campaign against co-hosts USA on June 6 in Dallas. They will then confront arch-rivals India at the Nassau County International Cricket Stadium in New York on June 9. Finally, they will play against Canada and Ireland in their remaining group-stage matches.

Pakistan reached the knockout stages in the last two T20 World Cups. They lost to Australia in the semifinals in 2021 and were defeated by England in the final in 2022.

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