'Average people only like average people'- Shoaib Akhtar lashes out at PCB for not addressing middle-order woes in team selection for the T20 World Cup

Shoaib Akhtar has lambasted the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) after they selected the 15-member squad for the ICC T20 World Cup 2022 on Thursday, September 15. The Men in Green will be led by the modern-day batting sensation Babar Azam while spin all-rounder Shadab Khan has been named his deputy.

Akhtar criticized all the top officials of the PCB for not addressing the middle-order woes heading into the marquee tournament down under and has made it clear that all the concerned officials who are responsible for this team selection will have to face dire consequences should Pakistan have a dismal campaign down under.

Average people cannot make extraordinary decisions: Shoaib Akhtar

“Average people only like average people and average people can never make extraordinary decisions. What kind of a team selection has been made by the Pakistan Cricket Board? Pakistan’s problem was the middle-order. When the chief selector himself is average. His choices will also be average”, said Shoaib Akhtar while speaking on his You Tube channel.

“Let me tell you if Pakistan are knocked out in the very first round with this team, then I fear that Pakistan’s batting has been exposed, it has no depth at all, no thinking”, he added.

“I think if Pakistan team does not perform from here and if they go to Australia with this batting and get exposed yet again, then I am telling you the Pakistan management and coaches will be sacked, and Ramiz Raja Saab Chairman of our cricket board. Even he won’t survive by November. No management will get away after making this kind of a selection”, the ‘Rawalpindi Express’ further added.

Barring the Asia Cup 2022 Super Four game against arch-rivals India, Pakistan’s middle-order has been really inconsistent throughout which eventually cost them the final against Sri Lanka. Opener Mohammad Rizwan was the lone warrior for the Men in Green in that finale as his half-century helped in reducing the margin of defeat chasing a manageable target of 171.

Pakistan squad for T20 World Cup 2022:

Babar Azam (c), Shadab Khan (vc), Asif Ali, Haider Ali, Haris Rauf, Iftikhar Ahmed, Khushdil Shah, Mohammad Hasnain, Mohammad Nawaz, Mohammad Rizwan, Mohammad Wasim, Naseem Shah, Shaheen Shah Afridi, Shan Masood, Usman Qadir

Reserves: Fakhar Zaman, Mohammad Haris, Shahnawaz Dahani