Former Pakistani cricketer Shoaib Akhtar expressed disappointment over Pakistan’s performance in the 2023 World Cup match against India. Pakistan was bowled out for just 191 runs, and their batting order collapsed following the dismissal of their captain, Babar Azam, who had scored a half-century.
India had won the toss and elected to field first, a decision Akhtar criticized as he believed the pitch was conducive to high scores. However, Pakistan’s batting lineup struggled, and they were restricted to a low total.
What a waste of opportunity on a great batting wicket. Disappointed. Very disappointed. pic.twitter.com/2EnC1z9zni
— Shoaib Akhtar (@shoaib100mph) October 14, 2023
Akhtar lamented that Pakistan had a great opportunity to score but failed to capitalize on a good batting pitch. He questioned why the Pakistani batters played with crossed feet and the bat when the ball wasn’t swinging much.
Akhtar also commended Rohit Sharma’s captaincy and the use of bowlers by India. He felt that Pakistan lacked the “fire” needed to perform well in such a high-pressure match with a massive crowd at the world’s largest cricket stadium.
Sawa lakh banda akele chup kerwanay k liye fire chahiye hota hai. Yeh sirf tab ho sakta hai jab aap k andar wo aag ho.
— Shoaib Akhtar (@shoaib100mph) October 14, 2023
In the match, Pakistan’s innings was briefly revived when Babar Azam and Mohammed Rizwan put on 82 runs for the third wicket, but the team’s performance deteriorated after their dismissals. Pakistan could only set a target of 192 for India to chase.
