Former Pakistan wicketkeeper-batsman Moin Khan has expressed concerns about the on-field camaraderie of the Pakistan team as they prepare for the ODI World Cup in India. The Men in Green suffered a crushing defeat in their first warm-up match against New Zealand as they were unable to defend their total of 345 points in Hyderabad.
Except for Pakistan’s opener, batsmen like Mohammad Rizwan, Babar Azam and Saud Shakeel played important roles in the middle overs. However, the bowling attack without Shaheen Afridi was unable to restrict the New Zealand batting line-up. New Zealand confidently reached the target in 43.4 overs with great contributions from Rachin Ravindra, Kane Williamson, Darryl Mitchell and Mark Chapman.
Cricket Pakistan’s Moin Khan feels the team was scattered during the match as senior players were not participating and the captain on the field gave suggestions about the match . That is the reason for the team’s failure in big games.
“I saw this 100%. The players are distracted and seem hesitant to even suggest Babar, be it Rizwan, Shadab or Shaheen. .It was clear that the team was not united. There were no discussions, even if there were suggestions and Babar followed them, it didn’t work out,” Moin Khan said.
Pakistan captainBabar Azam was criticized for his decisions as captain during the 2023 Asia Cup. The captaincy caused a lot of controversy as he was not at his best, both in his batting and in his decisions as captain, and many experts wanted senior players to stand in for the team in important matches.
There Are Difference But You Have To End Them To Perform Better – Moin Khan
Moin Khan also feels that Pakistani players are afraid of playing against the Indian team and urges them to perform to their full potential. He emphasized the importance of maintaining a high level of body language during highly dynamic matches. He also said that it is natural for disagreements to arise in the dressing room for the good of the team.
“The other thing is that the players are scared of playing against India. And for someone who is really afraid that their proposal won’t work out, that’s fear. You have to reach your full potential and give 100% effort. It’s okay if your proposal is wrong, it will happen. But your body language will tell you whether you want to win or not. but it was invisible.”
“It was good that we had some issues in the locker room, and I know there are differences in professional environments, but to perform better, We have to overcome them. We have to keep going,” Moin Khan added.
After the Men in Green’s heartbreaking exit from a continental event, there were signs that the atmosphere in the dressing room was not the best. Pakistan Cricket reports say there was an altercation in the dressing room and the Pakistan captain faces resistance from other players, but the players are determined to do well in the upcoming ODI World Cup in India. He says he will try to surpass his previous performance.
