Wasim said Pakistan’s victories over India at last year’s T20 World Cup, as well as the Asian Cup Super 4 clash, were a sign they had improved as a unit.
File picture of Pakistani chief selector Mohammad Wasim. AFP
The Pakistani cricket team has come under heavy criticism for the past week after losing twice in three days to Sri Lanka at the Asian Cup, including last Sunday’s final. And it’s not just captain Babar Azam, manager Saqlain Mushtaq and the rest of the squad who have come under attack from pundits and fans alike.
Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) Chief Selector Mohammad Wasim has also been criticized for some of the decisions he and his panel made, including the fact that they retained the majority of players who selected the Asian Cup final for the T20 have reached the World Championships, which will be held in Australia next month. The former Pakistani cricketer was dubbed “average” by legendary pacesetter Shoaib Akhtar, who feared the team would not make it through the first round of the upcoming major event.
Wasim, however, hit back at critics and while defending the Men in Green he lashed out at arch-rivals India, who have lost to Pakistan twice in multi-nation events in less than a year.
“India is a billion dollar team. But we showed at the Asian Cup last year, as we did this year, that this team can win and I’m sure they will bring joy to the fans at the World Cup as well.
“I think you also have to see the positives that we played in the semi-finals of the last T20 World Cup and the Asian Cup final. Therefore, it would not be fair to completely discard the team due to some poor performances,” Wasim, who represented Pakistan in 18 Tests and 25 ODIs, told the press during the T20 World Cup squad announcement.
Pakistan next meet England in a seven-game T20I series at home, followed by a triangular T20I series in New Zealand that also includes Bangladesh. They then open their T20 World Cup campaign with a blockbuster clash against India at Melbourne Cricket Ground on 23 October.
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