Pakistan cricket legends, Wasim Akram and Shoaib Malik, have expressed their disappointment over Pakistan’s poor performance in the Cricket World Cup 2023. Both former international cricketers believe that Afghanistan outperformed the Babar Azam-led Pakistani team in the tournament. Pakistan’s inability to reach the semi-finals resulted in their elimination from the tournament, finishing in fifth place in the ten-team points table. Out of the nine matches played in the league stage, Pakistan lost five, including a crucial defeat against Afghanistan by eight wickets.
Speaking to A Sports, Malik admitted, “Afghanistan played better cricket than us.” He further added, “In my opinion, if we only consider this World Cup, then yes, Afghanistan has played better cricket than us.”
Wasim Akram, the legendary Pakistani pacer, also acknowledged Afghanistan’s superior performance in the tournament. “Afghans looked stronger. Maybe, our boys looked fatigued because they were continuously playing cricket. There is no doubt that Afghanistan cricketers looked better than Pakistan,” said Akram.
In their last match of the Cricket World Cup 2023, Pakistan suffered a defeat of 93 runs against England in Kolkata. This loss officially eliminated the Babar Azam-led side from the tournament, as they failed to chase down the target of 338 runs in just 6.4 overs, an impossible task.
England, after winning the toss and choosing to bat first, scored 337 for 9 in 50 overs, thanks to impressive knocks from Ben Stokes (84) and Joe Root (60). Pakistan’s Haris Rauf took three wickets, while Shaheen Afridi and Mohammad Wasim took two wickets each.
The disappointing performance of the Pakistani team in the Cricket World Cup 2023 has raised concerns and sparked discussions about the future of Pakistani cricket.
