Before the competition even made it to the Super Eights, Pakistan’s dreams of winning their second T20 World Cup were dashed.
Despite a heartening victory over Canada and Ireland, the team’s opening match loss to the USA and subsequent collapse from a winning position against India was too much to overcome. Pakistan’s eventual elimination was confirmed when the rain forced the postponement of the USA vs. Ireland match.
Ramiz Raja, the former cricket player for Pakistan, has been very critical of the unfortunate early exit. Raja did not hold back while criticising the Men in Green for their lack of preparation, consistency, and game awareness during the major event.
The lack of consistency in their selection process and their disorganised preparation stemmed from their uncertainty over the opening pitcher. After a protracted period of experimentation, they were forced to bring back former players. How does that reveal something about the system?” he said to Star Sports.
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Consideration must be given to many things: Ramiz Raja
The team’s preparations were further disrupted, according to the former, by the administrative unrest at the PCB and a change in command. However, the players’ deficiency of situational awareness while playing was the target of his most severe criticism.
Simply said, it’s game awareness. There is obvious skill in both bowling and batting, albeit in smaller doses. To bowl the right ball in a pinch and play the right shot, they must, however, sort out the sequence and enhance their game awareness. He continued, “Some of the things we’ve seen in this World Cup campaign are absolutely mind-boggling.
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Following their defeat in the ODI World Cup last year, Babar Azam resigned as white-ball captain for Pakistan but was later reinstated. However, Raja maintains that everyone concerned needs to reflect deeply because even Azam’s leadership was unable to save the T20 World Cup from collapsing.
“In addition, there were two changes: one at the PCB and the other in the captaincy. In my opinion, Pakistan’s situation wasn’t good in many ways. Why they went so wrong requires a great deal of reflection, Raja said in closing.