Published 18:53 IST, September 13th 2023
It was humiliating': Shoaib Akhtar fumes over Pakistan's embarrassing show against India
On his YouTube channel, Shoaib Akhtar hasn't refrained from taking a dig at Pakistan team following their harrowing loss at the hands of India.
India managed to get the better of Sri Lanka in a nail-biting encounter at R Premdasa Stadium in Colombo on Tuesday. The Men in Blue sealed a spot in the summit clash and will face the winner of the Pakistan vs Sri Lanka tie. An 8th Asia Cup title will be at stake for Rohit Sharma and Co.
3 things you need to know
- India defeated Sri Lanka by 41 runs in Colombo
- Pakistan will face Sri Lanka in a do-or-die clash on September 14, 2023
- The Men in Blue are also the defending champions of the 50 over Asia Cup
Shoaib Akhtar slams the Pakistan team's intent against India
Dinuth Wellalage's all round performance did put India in some discomfort but the Indian bowlers managed to hold their nerve and guided the team to a slender 41-run win over the island nation. However, Shoaib Akhtar hasn't refrained from taking a dig at Pakistan following their harrowing loss at the hands of India. Babar Azam's team is in dire need of victory when they face Sri Lanka on Wednesday. Akhtar particularly slammed the fast bowlers as he insisted he failed to see the kind of dedication in Pakistani bowlers.
On his YouTube channel, he said, "Players like Dinuth Wellalage are bowling and batting both. There is a fight. But I can't see this fight in Pakistan players. Secondly nothing to blame our fast bowlers. They don't play at all. When did they play 25-30 ODIs in a year? Then we expect Naseem Shah and Shaheen Shah Afridi to bowl 10 overs in a match and not get injured. So again I wanted a fight. At least try to chase 300 runs. Score at least 275 runs. To give up, this was humiliating. Look at Sri Lanka, how they tried to catch India off guard. Because they have good spinners. Shadab is also not in form. Apart from him we don't have spinners. We don't have middle order batsmen who we can rely upon."
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Akhtar lavishes praise on Ishan Kishan
"Look at Ishan Kishan, KL Rahul and Virat Kohli. We don't have that kind of strength.", said the Rawalpindi Express. Ahead of the ICC ODI World Cup, India will aim to finish the Asia Cup on a winning note which will likely to provide a major boost to their World Cup credentials.
Updated 18:53 IST, September 13th 2023