Former Pakistan cricketers Kamran akmal and Basit Ali slammed Sri Lanka all-rounder Wanindu Hasaranga for his poor form. The Sri Lankan was criticized for failing to fire with both bat and ball in the recently-concluded T20I series against India.
While Akmal took a dig at Hasaranga for failing to replicate his IPL & LPL performances for the national side, Ali tore into the all-rounder for not living up to the expectations of being a top-ranked player in T20Is.
Wanindu Hasaranga under fire over poor form
“You’ve been the captain and are a match-winner. But look how he’s batted and bowled. His attitude doesn’t look serious on the field. We have seen him give everything in LPL and IPL. You need to have the same commitment while playing for your nation as well,” Akmal said.
“Number one all-rounder, Wanindu Hasaranga. I think he has become bigger than cricket. Cricket is small, he is big. He got out on the first ball by playing a poor shot. With the ball, he was taken to the cleaners by Suryakumar Yadav and Yashasvi Jaiswal,” Basit said.
Hasaranga’s struggles as player & captain
Hasaranga has been in and out of the game over the last year owing to injuries. He made his comeback at the T20 World Cup after missing the IPL, only for Sri Lanka to end their campaign on a miserable note.
Taking responsibility for the team’s performance, Hasaranga stated in his resignation letter that he gave his best effort but it wasn’t enough. Despite stepping down from captaincy, he has pledged his continued support for the team. “Sri Lanka will always have my utmost best efforts as a player, and I will support and stand by my team and leadership as always,” Hasaranga said.