Ahmed Shehzad has slammed the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) for allowing Pakistani players to participate in international leagues after failing to deliver for the Men in Green in the T20 World Cup 2024. Out-of-favour Pakistani batter Ahmed Shehzad has slammed the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) for allowing Pakistani players to participate in international leagues after a horror show in the recently concluded ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2024.
In the ninth edition of the men’s shortest format megaevent, which was played in the West Indies and USA, Pakistan suffered shocking defeats against the USA and India in the first two matches to crash out of the tournament from the group stage itself.
Pakistan’s poor show in World Cup 2024 T20Is
In what was the worst campaign, the Pakistan team had a torrid outing in the T20 World Cup 2024. The Babar Azam-led side couldn’t get going at all as they played poor cricket throughout and it led to their early exit from the tournament, in the United States of America leg.
Pakistan didn’t have a great start to the tournament as they lost to the United States of America which in itself was a biggest disappointment. The Men in Green lost the game in the Super Over and they faced a lot of criticism for losing to the associate nation despite being the finalists of the last T20 World Cup.
It was expected that Pakistan would come up with a better performance in the next game but it was the same case. They played better cricket in the game against India but couldn’t win the match as Indian bowlers snatched the victory from the jaws of defeat.
With two back-to-back losses in the T20 World Cup 2024, Pakistan came under a lot of pressure and their qualification for the Super 8 was dependent on the result of the game between the United States of America and Ireland National Cricket Team. But the game ended in a washout and it meant curtains for the Babar Azam-led side.
As Pakistan suffered an early exit from the T20 World Cup 2024, they faced a lot of criticism. Apart from that there were a lot of reports which claimed that things were not right in the Pakistan dressing room as players are not gelling well with each other. According to 32-year-old Shehzad, who last played for Pakistan in 2019, Pakistani players have no shame, as after failing to perform for the national team, they have asked permission to play in other leagues.
In his tweet on Wednesday evening, the 2009 T20 World Cup winner questioned the PCB’s decision and also inquired about the big surgery promised by the PCB chairman in the aftermath of a poor show in the United States.
Ahmed Shehzad blasts Pakistan cricket team after 2024 T20 World Cup failure
Pakistan cricketer Ahmed Shehzad has slammed the Men in Green weeks after they crashed out in the group stage of the 2024 T20 World Cup on Wednesday, July 3. The 32-year-old blasted the players for holding unwanted press conferences and playing religion cards following their poor performances in the mega ICC event.
Shehzad also alleged Babar Azam and Co. made grouping in the team, a topic he has raised several times.
Shehzad wrote on X :
“It is really disappointing that some players are hiding their poor performance in the World Cup by holding unnecessary press conferences and playing the religion card. Where does religion go when they lie about their fitness and when they admit they were acting on the field? Does religion teach you to deceive others and lie in the field?
“You are paid to perform on the field and you join the grouping in the team instead. Religion teaches us to fulfill our responsibility with full determination and not to lie about our suffering,” he continued.
Shehzad’s reaction came hours after Mohammad Rizwan promoted religion in a press conference. The wicketkeeper-batter said in a video shared on X:
“I think that every person is a brand ambassador for two things. If he is a Muslim, he represents Islam wherever he goes in the world. Secondly, he’s a brand ambassador of Pakistan. What people say, we don’t care about that.”
“We will not let PCB Chairman Mohsin Naqvi forget the big surgery he promised” – Ahmed Shehzad
Ahmed Shehzad also asked PCB Chairman Mohsin Naqvi to post-mortem Pakistan’s failure at the 2024 T20 World Cup. He wrote on X
“Some spokespeople for these players want them to be given another chance, but why? This is the Pakistan team and it is not their home team where they can play. If they want another chance, they can make their own team and play with their friends but not for Pakistan cricket team anymore.
“We will not let PCB Chairman Mohsin Naqvi forget the big surgery he promised. Some players of the Pakistani team are now even mocking the chairman’s statement because they don’t care. But we will make sure that fans get their answers and action is taken against these players. We have taken a stand and we will not back down until this Pakistan team is back on the right track,” Shehzad added.
Meanwhile, 12 Pakistan players have been given NOCs to play in the Major League Cricket, Caribbean Premier League, County Cricket, Lanka Premier League, World Championship of Legends, and The Hundred.