Former Pakistani fast bowler and cricket analyst Shoaib Akhtar expressed his disappointment on Saturday regarding the lackluster performance of the Pakistani cricket team, often referred to as the "Men in Green," in their World Cup 2023 match against India.
Pakistan's batting order collapsed, and they were bowled out for a mere 191 runs after their skipper, Babar Azam, who played an admirable half-century, was dismissed.
This match took place at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad, one of the most highly anticipated cricket contests. India had won the toss and chose to have Pakistan bat first, a decision that Shoaib Akhtar considered unwise given the perception that the pitch was favorable for high scores.
However, Akhtar's assessment was proven incorrect as Pakistan's entire batting lineup struggled, and they were limited to just 191 runs. In response to this disappointing performance, the former fast bowler referred to it as a "missed opportunity on a pitch that favored batting."
He shared a video on the microblogging platform X, where he expressed his disappointment in Pakistan's inability to capitalize on the excellent conditions, stating, "Yes. So you have seen the match, what a beautiful wicket it was, what a great platform all of them got, but Pakistan couldn't capitalize. Pakistan didn't have that talent to score big and capitalize on the situation, very disheartening to see Pakistan losing on a very good track."
Akhtar questioned why the Pakistani batters used a cross-footed technique when the ball wasn't swinging much. He commended Rohit Sharma, the captain of the Indian team, for his leadership and effective use of bowlers.
Later, Shoaib Akhtar wrote on X that Pakistan lacked the "fire" required to silence such a massive crowd at the world's largest cricket stadium, stating, "To silence 150,000 people singlehandedly requires the fire. This is only possible when you have that fire inside you."
The Pakistani team's innings briefly revived when skipper Babar Azam and Mohammed Rizwan came to the crease. They put on 82 runs for the third wicket, rebuilding the innings.
However, Babar was dismissed soon after reaching his half-century. Pakistan reached 157-3 in 31 overs, but after that, the team's performance declined, with only Hasan Ali managing to score in double digits.
Consequently, Pakistan could only set a target of 192 runs for India, and it is expected that the Indian team, often referred to as the "Men In Blue," will comfortably chase this target.