Kamal Ghorui
NEW DELHI: Mohammad Amir recently compared Pakistan’s current cricket team with the side from the 1990s. He said the respect Pakistan once commanded has faded.“The Pakistan team in the 90s and the current team has a difference. India used to fear us back then, now they don’t take us seriously anymore. Now, they are not celebrating after taking our wickets and even after winning the match,” Amir said on a Pakistani TV channel.
His comments came after Pakistan lost to India by 61 runs in the T20 World Cup. After that match, Shahid Afridi called for major changes in the team. He said senior players should be dropped because of poor performances.“If I had to take a decision here, then I would drop Shaheen, Babar and Shadab as well,” Afridi said.Shadab Khan was unhappy with these remarks. He responded after a strong performance against Namibia, where he scored 36 runs and took three wickets. Pakistan won that match by 102 runs and reached the Super 8.Shadab reminded former players that they also never beat India in World Cups.“Our ex-cricketers have their own opinions. They have done well for Pakistan, and at the end of the day, they have also never defeated India in the World Cup,” Shadab said in Colombo. “We were the ones who defeated India in the 2021 World Cup. In World Cups, we have beaten India only once. Yes, they are legends, but they have never done anything remarkable against India in the World Cup.”He also said the team should focus on winning the tournament.“We are talking too much about one match. Yes, the obvious goal was to win that match against India as well. At the end of the day, our main aim is to win the World Cup. We are trusting our process, and we will get the results,” he added.Former cricketer Basit Ali also criticised Shadab’s comments.“In my opinion, Shadab Khan should not have said such things about his father-in-law. Saqlain Mushtaq had 10 bowlers like Shadab in his pocket,” Basit said. He also questioned Shadab’s role in the team and his performances.Basit then shared a past incident from a tour with Pakistan A.“I am going to reveal something that no one knows. I took the Pakistan A team to England. He used to be on the phone all the time. I had to snatch both his phones.”
