PAK vs NED: "If I Have To Make A Donkey My Father To Win The World Cup, I'll Do It" - Former Pakistan Fast Bowler Wasim Akram Slams Babar Azam For Shoaib Malik's Exclusion

The Pakistan cricket team lost to Zimbabwe in the Group 2 match of the ICC T20 World Cup 2022 at the Optus Stadium in Perth on Thursday, October 27 and their chances of a semi-final qualification have taken a massive hit. The Babar Azam-led team can still qualify for the next round only via certain permutations and combinations.

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Chasing a target of 131 runs, Pakistan was restricted to 129/8 by Zimbabwe. Pakistan’s poor performance was largely due to poor dismissals by the batsmen. Middle-order failure has been the main reason for Pakistan’s recent defeats in the Asia Cup final or the England series, and Babar’s captaincy and form have not helped his side.

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Pakistan’s most capped T20I batsman has not been included in the 15-man squad for the marquee event in Australia. Pakistan’s struggles in the middle order in the ongoing World Cup have been widely publicized and many former Pakistan players believe the team needs experience at this position.

Wasim Akram criticized the team management and captain Babar Azam for not including veteran all-rounder Shoaib Malik in the World Cup squad.

We Knew That Middle-Order Is Weak For Last One Year – Wasim Akram

“For the last one year, we knew that the middle-order is weak. This guys is sitting here, Shoaib Malik, and my end goal as a captain is to win the World Cup. If I have to make a donkey my father to achieve that, I’ll do it, as winning the World Cup is my ultimate goal.”

“If I wanted Shoaib Malik in the middle, I’ll make sure to tell the chairman of selectors that I want this guy or else I’ll not be captaining the team. But, we don’t have people like that,” said the legendary pacer on A Sports.

I Would’ve Put Malik In The Middle-Order – Wasim Akram

Akram criticized Pakistan captain Babar for not being intelligent enough with his captaincy decisions. Malik was in contention for a place in the World Cup squad, but his controversial tweet after the Asia Cup final cost him a spot. He has not played a single match for Pakistan this year. He said, “Babar has to be more intelligent. These are not mohalla teams. The players are decent, but I would’ve put Malik in the middle order right from the start. This is Australia, not Sharjah or Pakistan’s dead wickets.”

With only three games remaining, Pakistan will look to finish the tournament on a positive note as they hope for a miracle toward qualification. Pakistan will take on the Netherlands in a Group 2 Super 12 match of the ICC T20 World Cup 2022 at the Optus Stadium in Perth on Sunday, October 30.

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