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Wasim Akram has been unforgiving in his scathing assessment of Pakistan players after their woeful performance during the ongoing Champions Trophy.
Wasim Akram (left) has been highly critical of Pakistan’s performance in Champions Trophy. (Screengrab/AP)
Fast bowling legend Wasim Akram has been brutal in his assessment of the Pakistan cricket team after they endured a one-sided defeat to India in a Champions Trophy Group A fixture last Sunday. Akram has advocated for taking ‘drastic steps’ and making wholesale changes to revive Pakistan’s white-ball cricket.
Akram has also taken a sharp dig at Pakistan players’ diet after spotting plateful of bananas during the drinks break of their match against India.
The former Pakistan captain left his fellow analysts including Waqar Younis, Ajay Jadeja and Nikhil Chopra in splits during a cricket chat show Dressing Room following his comments on Pakistan players.
“I just want to know one more thing from all three of you. I think it was the second or the third drinks break, and I saw a plate full of bananas coming out for players to eat. Itne kele bandar bhi nahi khaate (Even monkey won’t eat so many bananas). And it’s their diet. How many bananas did you (Waqar Younis) eat while bowling?” Akram said.
“Imagine if we were eating bananas and captain Imran Khan would’ve spotted us. He would have given us a beating over it,” he added.
In what was a one-sided affair, India defeated Pakistan by six wickets riding on a superb unbeaten century from Virat Kohli. This was after Indian bowlers produced a combined effort to limit their arch-rivals to a below-par total at the Dubai International Cricket Stadium.
The defeat was Pakistan’s second in a row of the Champions Trophy and after New Zealand’s impressive win over Bangladesh on Monday, the Mohammad Rizwan-led side has been eliminated from the semifinals race. The team has been facing the heat for their average display across departments.
Pakistan entered the competition as the defending champions and will next face Bangladesh in what is an inconsequential tie.
For more in-depth coverage of the Champions Trophy, check out the latest Points Table to see where your favorite team stands. Stay updated on the tournament’s top performers with the Most Runs and Most Wickets leaderboards. Keep following for all the latest updates!