"Same old story," Ahmed Shehzad slams Pakistan team after first ODI defeat

Test cricketer Ahmed Shehzad lashed out at Pakistan men’s cricket team following their narrow defeat in the ODI series opener against Australia on Monday.

Chasing a modest 204-run target, Australia had to put in hard yards to claim the victory as the pace-heavy Pakistan’s bowling attack had reduced them to 155/7.

But a gutsy knock under pressure by Australian captain Pat Cummins denied Pakistan their first ODI victory in Australia since 2017.

The right-handed batter scored an unbeaten 32 off 31 balls with the help of four boundaries and steered the home side over the line in 33.3 overs with two wickets to spare.

Reacting to the national team’s narrow defeat, Shehzad insisted that Pakistan should not have lost the match from where they were.

“Can't believe it. Pakistan should have not lost from here. We might never get a chance like this in the series again,” wrote Shehzad.

“Poor planning in the end cost us the game. We were too short to tail enders rather than being full and straight. Very disappointing, same old story. Australia calmed the nerves and went all the way for victory,” his statement added.

Shehzad further shared his thoughts on the outcome of the match on his YouTube channel and claimed that Australia made every effort to let Pakistan win the fixture.

"Australia made every effort today to find a way for Pakistan to win this match, but Pakistan also vowed that they would not have a happy dinner or a chicken dinner. They didn’t want what you were serving on the plate to be handed to them as a win, so they said, 'Take it back'," Shehzad said.

With a hard-fought victory in the first ODI, Australia now lead the three-match series 1-0. The second ODI will be played in Adelaide on Friday (November 8).