Quite unsurprisingly, the Pakistan team has come under heavy criticism following their underwhelming performance in the ongoing T20 World Cup 2024. After suffering embarrassing defeats against USA and India, their qualification for the next round hangs in the balance and require another ‘Qudrat ka Nizam‘. Former Pakistani opener Imran Nazir did not mince words while expressing his disappointment with the team’s performance, particularly targeting captain Babar Azam and his teammates.
Did Nazir called Pakistan cricketers ‘cowards’?
Nazir, in a scathing attack on a Pakistani TV show, labeled the team “cowards” and slammed them for making excuses. He emphasized that cricket is a sport for the fearless, and he hadn’t witnessed a more cowardly team than this one. “I am sorry, but I am compelled to say that cricket is a game of the fearless. I haven’t witnessed anyone as cowardly as this team [Cricket dileron ka khel hai. Yeh team jis tarike se khele hai, inse jyada buzdil cricketers aaj tak nahi dekhe],” Nazir remarked.
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Nazir further criticized the team’s tendency to find excuses for their failures. He stated that there’s no place for excuses in cricket and that players are expected to perform irrespective of the conditions. “I frequently discuss what new excuse they will be concocting now. There are no excuses in cricket. Irrespective of the pitch or conditions you are encountering, you are obligated to play,” Nazir added.
Nazir also pointed out the team’s batting woes, particularly the lack of a strong middle order. He questioned how a team with such a weak batting line-up could expect to win the T20 World Cup. In the game against arch-nemesis India, Pakistan’s batting lineup faltered massively. Their bowlers set up a superb chance to clinch the crucial tie when they bundled the Men in Blue to 119. Pakistan were 73 for 2 as well. However, they failed to run down the total, display an awful batting performance.