Shoaib Malik questions Pakistan’s approach against Canada’s bowlers

Pakistan won the match by 7 wickets

By Web Desk
June 12, 2024
Former Pakistani cricketer and captain, Shoaib Malik - AFP

Pakistan cricket team won their first game in the T20 World Cup 2024 against Canada on June 11 at the Nassau County International Cricket Stadium in New York by seven wickets.

A target of 107 was posted by Canada and albeit it was an easy target for the Pakistani batters, they took the game to 17.3 overs and chased the target with a loss of three wickets.

Pakistan needed to improve their net run rate in this match to better their chances of qualifying for the Super-8s. 

Former cricketers including former captain, Shoaib Malik have criticised the batters’ inability to play against Canada’s spinners despite the ground conditions not suiting them.

“Today when [Canada’s] spinners were bowling, especially Saad Bin Zafar and Junaid Siddiqui, they [Pakistani batters] were running singles on the front-foot and on back-foot,” Malik said on a local sports channel after the match.

“The conditions have been difficult and we have heard that from the players but they were not difficult [in the Canada match] that too against spinners. They [Canada] have two pacers who are tall and the conditions did suit them but for Kaleem Sana, Zafar and Junaid, these conditions were not suitable for them [spinners]. Pakistan should have taken risks if they want to qualify for the Super-8s.”

Malik also pointed out Pakistan’s captain Babar Azam’s lack of risk-taking and targeted the team for not finishing the game earlier and further improving their net run rate which will help them in qualifying for the Super-8s.

“I only saw two attempts from Babar to come outside the wicket and hit a six and once more. On the other end, Rizwan scored a fifty, which was good and well played by him but the team required something more from them. 

"If they had the chance to finish it early [due to the conditions not suiting the Canadian spinners] then why did they take the game till the end when they had an opportunity to finish it up early and better their net run rate to qualify for the Super-8s.”

The former captain also advised the team to play for team goals rather than playing for something else, “The situation in the team is even evident to the people watching on TV. The point I am trying to establish is that play for the country.”

Pakistan cricket team has had a poor run in the T20 World Cup 2024 as they lost both of their first matches against the USA and then the arch-rivals India. Both of the games were easy to win for Pakistan but a blunder here and there turned the results against them.

Pakistan has one more match left in the group stage of the T20 World Cup 2024 and that is against Ireland on June 16 in Florida.  

Comments

    I love la hoodie commented 5 months ago

    Yes Shoaib Malik is on touch so I recommend Shoaib should comeback