'Be vary of public outrage': Sarfaraz reads Pakistan teammates the riot act amid dismal World Cup performance

Following the drubbing in the hands of India, Pakistan skipper Sarfaraz Ahmed has cautioned his teammates about the possible public outrage they will face if they do not improve their playing standards in the rest of the games left at the World Cup. 

 "If anyone thinks that I will go home, then it is their idiocy. If God forbid something unfortunate happens then I won't be the only one going back home," Pakistani media outlet, 'thenews.com.pk', quoted Sarfaraz as saying.

 With just three points from five games, Pakistan sits at the bottom of the tournament table, just above neighbours Afghanistan. The skipper warned his teammates to be ready for the ire the public was going to vent on them once they head back home if the low standard performances continue.  

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The Pakistani team came under the line of fire, with fingers pointed at the fitness and attitude of the players, after their 89-run loss to India in their fourth match in the World Cup. Both fans and former players of the team have raised questions about the team's fitness and focus after reports of some players of the team had a late night outing on the day before the match. Players were alleged of eating fast food and doing sheesha, that further propelled the anger towards the team. Fitness concerns arose after Pakistan missed plentiful chances against India including a missed run-out chance to get Rohit Sharma out very well before he got his century, a few dropped catches, the captain's mid-field yawn while keeping behind the stumps and the collapse of the batting order except for Babar Ali and Fakhar Zaman, who managed to steer Pakistan to a score lesser humiliating. 

Sarfaraz Ahmed was called a 'brainless' captain by former pacer Shoaib Akhtar whereas Sachin Tendulkar described Sarfaraz as a person with lack of imagination. On the other hand, Shoaib Malik, who got out on a duck, has also found himself in the eye of the storm after videos of a night out with his wife Sania Mirza went viral on social media.

Trying to put the defeat behind, Sarfaraz has asked the team to move on and focus on lifting their performance for the remaining games. Pakistan will play against South Africa at Lord's, London on 23 June

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