Akram shuts fan down after ‘you hadn’t picked Malik in your T20 WC squad' remark
Pakistan faced a devastating loss to Zimbabwe in the T20 World Cup Group 2 game on Thursday. Chasing a 131-run target, Pakistan fell short by a run as they were restricted to 129/8 by a spirited Zimbabwean side; with the loss, Pakistan's chances of a semi-final qualification have taken a massive hit. The side's poor performance in the match in Perth was largely down to an underwhelming outing from the batters; barring Shan Masood who scored a gritty 44, no other batter could infuse confidence as a relatively less-experienced Zimbabwe side trumped the men in green.
Following the game, the Pakistan selection committee was criticised for its squad selection; the side's struggles in the middle-order had been well-documented in the lead-up to the World Cup, and many former Pakistan cricketers believed that the team needed experience in the role. Veteran all-rounder Shoaib Malik was widely touted for selection in the squad, but the PCB selection committee chose to send the existing bunch of middle-order batters to Australia.
Also read: 'WC jeetne keliye gadhe ko bhi baap banana padta hai': Furious Akram raises Malik question at Babar after Zimbabwe loss
After the loss to Zimbabwe, Wasim Akram had lashed out at the selection committee, insisting that Malik should have been a part of the squad. “From past one year, we knew that middle-order is weak. Shoaib Malik is sitting here. If I was captain, what would have been my end goal? To win the World Cup! I would go to any means to achieve that. If I want Shoaib Malik in my team, I will tell chairman and selectors that I won't play in the World Cup if I don't get my player," Akram said on A Sports.
However, on the same channel next day, a fan reminded Akram that he hadn't selected Malik in his own T20 World Cup squad before the start of the tournament. “When you were asked to pick your T20 World Cup team in a show, you didn't pick Malik. Apart from Azam in place of Haider, he kept the same team,” a fan asked Akram.
The former Pakistan captain had a rather unusual remark to the question. “Bohot time hai aapke paas. This happened during a series. As an ex-cricketer and commentator, jab mere se pucha jaata hai ki aap apni XI banaayein, this is the last thing I want to do. It's so boring. Toh mujhe vo team dete hain, main kehta hu haan ye hi theek hai,” said Akram. “You think main vahan baithkar poori kitaabein nikaalkar likhta hu? No, I don't.”
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