World Cup: ‘Looks like they eat 8 kg mutton every day’: Wasim Akram slams Pak team after Afghan debacle
Unrelenting in his criticism of the sloppy performance of his country’s team and defeat at the hands of Afghans, the former pacer has called for fitness standards
The Pakistan cricket team debacle in their ICC Cricket World Cup match against Afghanistan at Chennai on Monday (October 23) has left fans and former cricketers of the country fuming. Pakistan's media called the defeat “embarrassing” and slammed the below-par performance of the team, while former cricketers like Shoaib Akhtar and Wasim Akram expressed their bitterness in no uncertain terms.
Former pacer Akhtar, known as Rawalpindi Express, was unequivocal in his criticism of the Pakistan team. “A better team has won today. I have no words to describe this, I have literally zero words,” Akhtar was quoted as saying in media reports.
However, his former teammate and captain Akram did not mince words while criticising his country’s performance against Afghanistan, considered minnows, who registered their first win against Pakistan in ODI matches.
Speaking to Pakistan's ASports, Akram brought into question the poor fitness of Pakistan 11 and underlined it as the cause of their rout in the game. “It was embarrassing today. To reach 280-odd losing just two wickets is pretty big,” said a visibly annoyed Akram. “Wet pitch or no, look at the fielding, and the fitness levels. We’ve been screaming for the last 3 weeks that these players haven’t undergone a fitness test in the last two years,” he added.
Then he fired a salvo at the team, saying, “If I start taking individual names, their faces will drop. Looks like these guys are eating 8 kilos of mutton every day. Should there not be tests?”
The former pacer, who was instrumental in Pakistan winning the 1992 Cricket World Cup, told the cricketers that they are being paid for playing for the country and their primary job is to perform. “Professionally you guys are getting paid, playing for your country. There has to be a certain criteria. Misbah, when he was coach, had that criteria. Players hated him but it worked. Fielding is all about fitness and that’s where we are lacking. Now we have reached that same position, where we will pray for ifs and buts to happen,” said Akram.
His concern for fitness found an echo in Pakistan captain Babar Azam’s post-match press talk, when he said, “Whenever you do fielding, it is only with attitude. And I don't see any attitude from the team. You need to put in extra effort and be fit.”
In the Chennai showdown, Pakistan batted first and gave the opposite team a target of 283 runs, which the Afghan team easily chased to the shock of the men in green. It was Pakistan’s third defeat and the country is on the brink of elimination from the tournament.
