‘India & England have two teams now, our one is struggling’: Ajmal lashes out at Pakistan, questions players’ fitness
Former cricketer Saeed Ajmal expressed his disappointment over Pakistan’s defeat in his latest YouTube video. He slammed the team’s bowling unit and also highlighted the failure of the middle-order.
Pakistan’s 0-3 ODI series defeat against a makeshift England team has left the former cricketers fuming. Babar Azam & Co on Tuesday lost the final ODI against the hosts by 3 wickets. Despite setting a challenging 332-run target, the visitors ended up at the receiving end.
After batting first, Pakistan posted 331 for 9 following Babar’s career-best 158 off 139 deliveries. In reply, batsman James Vince notched up his maiden ODI hundred and guided his team to victory with 12 balls to spare.
Meanwhile, former cricketer Saeed Ajmal expressed his disappointment over Pakistan’s defeat in his latest YouTube video. He slammed the team’s bowling unit and also highlighted the failure of the middle-order.
“Babar Azam has scored 14 hundreds in 81 innings. What should I say now? Even after playing a brilliant innings, he had to return to the pavilion frustrated (after Pakistan's loss). It used to happen to me as well. I took five-wicket hauls but the team used to lose. I can only see two or three top players,” Ajmal said in his YouTube video.
“Even in bowling, apart from two or three bowlers, I don't see any of them (of quality). How will we survive like this? Our middle order is still a flop. If the top order performs then only, we can put a commendable score. Whenever the top order fails our teams completely collapse. England and India have two teams now, our one is struggling to survive,” he added.
Ajmal further questioned Pakistan’s team selection policy, highlighting that the management is giving more importance to the skill set of a player rather than his fitness.
“We have been crying for three years that we need to play youngsters and we need to improve on our fitness levels. What did you achieve? Now we have once again come back to- leave fitness level, we need talent now. Now you have brought in Sharjeel Khan, Azam Khan. Now you have started saying we want to see skills in players'. Fitness is important but don't have such poor policies where players lack fitness and skills,” Ajmal said.
England had named a second-string side with 9 uncapped players after multiple Covid cases surfaced in its bio-bubble. Many speculated an easy win for Pakistan but the hosts prevailed and outfoxed the visitors in all three ODIs.