Ex-cricketers Disappointed Over Pakistan’s Exit From ICC CWC

ISLAMABAD, (APP - UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - 12th Nov, 2023) Former cricketers have expressed disappointment over Pakistan's exit from the 2023 ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup, stating that a lot needs to be done for improvement. However, they emphasize that Skipper Babar Azam should not be solely blamed for the loss.

A 93-run defeat to England sealed Pakistan's fate, ending the 1992 Champions' already slim hopes of reaching the semifinals. Former Pakistan captain Ramiz Raja mentioned that 29-year-old Azam was "depressed" over the reaction at home. Azam's team lost five of their nine games, including a seven-wicket defeat by India in Ahmedabad in front of over 100,000 fans.

Azam made 320 runs in the World Cup with four fifties at an average of 40, maintaining his position as the world's second-highest-ranked batsman with almost 13,000 runs in all international cricket.

However, his captaincy in India was questioned, with accusations of lacking aggression in field settings. Raja told international media "There's so much pressure on him that he may leave the job." Raja criticized the overall system for the team's performance, saying, "When your bowlers don't take wickets with the new ball and start getting expensive, how would Babar do captaincy then?"

Sultan of Swing Wasim Akram emphasized that blaming the captain alone was unfair, attributing the team's struggles to systemic faults.

"The captain alone is not playing the game. Yes, he did make captaincy errors in this World Cup and in the Asia Cup as well. But he isn't alone to blame. This is a fault of the entire system for the last one year or more where the players don't know who is the coach. You cannot make him the scapegoat here," Akram said.

Other former players, such as Shoaib Malik and Shoaib Akhtar, expressed disappointment with the team's performance. Malik criticized the lack of resources and street-smartness from the captain, while Akhtar highlighted the overall lack of intent and the need for significant improvements.

“Lack of resources. No street smartness from the captain. We have only won against small teams," Malik said. “End of a disappointing campaign for Pakistan. They never got going really at any point. Clear lack of intent was visible. A lot needs to be done, but even for that, intent is important first," Akhtar wrote in his social media post.