Pakistan chief selector Mohammad Wasim hits back at critics citing wins against ‘billion-dollar team’ India for defence – Firstcricket News, Firstpost

The Pakistan cricket team has come under a lot of criticism over the past week after losing to Sri Lanka twice inside three days in the Asia Cup, including in the final last Sunday. And it’s not just captain Babar Azam, coach Saqlain Mushtaq and the rest of the team who have been subjected to barbs from experts and fans alike.

Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) chief selector Mohammad Wasim has also been slammed for some of the decisions taken by him and his panel, including the fact that they’ve retained a majority of the players who reached the final of the Asia Cup for the T20 World Cup that takes place in Australia next month. The former Pakistan cricketer has been termed “average” by legendary pacer Shoaib Akhtar, who feared the team wouldn’t go past the first round in the major event coming up.

Wasim, however, hit back at critics and while defending the ‘Men in Green’, took a swipe at arch-rivals India, who have lost to Pakistan twice across multi-nation events in less than a year now.

“India is a billion-dollar team. But we showed last year as well as this year in the Asia Cup that this team is capable of winning and I have complete faith that they will continue to give the fans happiness in the World Cup.

“I think you need to look at the positives too that we have played the semi-finals of the last T20 World Cup and the final of the Asia Cup. So to completely discard the team on the basis of a couple of bad performances wouldn’t be fair,” Wasim, who represented Pakistan in 18 Tests and 25 ODIs, told the press during the announcement of the T20 World Cup squad.



Pakistan face England in a seven-match T20I series at home in their next assignment, followed by a triangular T20I series in New Zealand also featuring Bangladesh. They then open their T20 World Cup campaign with a blockbuster clash against India at the Melbourne Cricket Ground on 23 October.

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