‘You will reap what you sow’ - Shoaib Akhtar's blunt assessment after Pakistan’s record loss to England
"Fans are saying that Pakistan should withdraw from WTC. ICC must be thinking 'should we send teams to Pakistan and keep their Test status alive'. It's just disheartening," Akhtar said.
Pakistan got off to a horrid start to their three-game Test series against England. Coming on the back of a historic series defeat to Bangladesh in their own backyard, Pakistan lost the first Test of the ongoing series against England in Multan to extend their misery.
Seeing the team's shambolic performance, former Pakistan pacer Shoaib Akhtar expressed his frustration, highlighting how Pakistan could not even put up a fight. Notably, Pakistan lost by an innings and 47 runs despite putting a mammoth 556 runs in the first innings. Meanwhile, Akhtar did not hold back in criticising the side and the management.
"You will reap what you sow. Over the decades, I have seen the decline. The situation is disappointing. Losing is fine, but the game should be close. However, what we saw over the past two days, they completely gave up hope. This shows that we aren't good enough. England scored 800+ and Bangladesh also beat you," Akhtar was quoted as saying by Cricket Pakistan.
Fans are saying that Pakistan should withdraw from WTC: Akhtar
Furthermore, Akhtar also talked about the role of the PCB in managing the team. Not holding back in his criticism, Akhtar also stated that the current crop of players is not good enough to represent the side on the biggest stage.
"Fans are saying that Pakistan should withdraw from WTC. ICC must be thinking 'should we send teams to Pakistan and keep their Test status alive'. It's just disheartening. This is going to hurt Pakistan cricket, fans, and the upcoming talents. I want to request the PCB to sort out this mess," Akhtar stressed.
"If your management and captain are weak, there will be groupism. If the captain is selfish, there will be groupism. Same is the case if the coaches are afraid of the captain. The captain calls the shot when it comes to selection. This has been the culture since my playing days," he said.
Meanwhile, Pakistan will face England in the second Test of the three-match series in Multan from October 15.
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