Pakistan should Play Against Zimbabwe and Ireland: Kamran Akmal Brutally Critisize After the Lose Against New Zealand

Pakistan’s Champions Trophy campaign started in a low-key manner after they succumbed to the Kiwis by 60 runs. Playing at home ground, Pakistan could not take advantage of the conditions and conceded a giant 320 runs in 50 overs to New Zealand. Despite a promising start in their chase, Pakistan faltered under pressure and were bowled out for 260, giving New Zealand a convincing victory.

Kamran Akmal Slams Pakistan Team’s Performance

Former wicketkeeper Kamran Akmal laid into the performance of the Pakistan cricket team. Akmal was talking to ARY News when he questioned the presence of Pakistan in the Champions Trophy, stating that the team should be tackling weaker oppositions, like Zimbabwe and Ireland.

Kamran Akmal’s statement:

“Zimbabwe aur Ireland ki series ho rahi hai, udhar jaayein. Wahan jaake khelein aur agar hum udhar jeette hain toh hum deserve karte hain (Champions Trophy). Humari iss tarah ki cricket ho rahi hai. Itni neeche gir gayi hai humari cricket pichle 6-7 saal mein. (There’s a series going on between Zimbabwe and Ireland. Go there and play with them. And if you win against them, then only you deserve to play the Champions Trophy. This is condition of Pakistan cricket. Our cricket standards have fallen drastically in the last 6-7 years.)”

New Zealand’s Strong Start: Centuries From Young & Latham

By opting to bowl first, Pakistan started the match very well, getting New Zealand to 73 for 3 at a stage. But match-defining innings from Will Young and Tom Latham, both of whom hit astounding centuries, really made the match-determined reach impressive for their team.

• Will Young: 112, off 128 balls
• Tom Latham: 107, off 95 balls

Their partnership manifested in maturity and game awareness altogether absent in Pakistan’s scheme. Even when Rachin Ravindra was injured, Will Young succeeded him and played a match-winning innings.

New Zealand skipper Mitchell Santner showered praise on the team’s approach: “The loss of early wickets was tough, but the way Will and Tom anchored the innings was brilliant. That’s what experienced players do.”

Pakistan Team’s Batting Collapse:

Pakistan, hunting down 321 runs, had to launch an assault from the start and glitter their batting line-up, which fell apart under pressure. Some close partnerships helped, but they never seemed to get to grips with the situation. The New Zealand bowling was mainly spearheaded by Mitchell Santner and William O’Rourke, who picked up three wickets each and broke Pakistan’s backbone.

Reasons for Pakistan’s Loss:

• Poor shot selection and game awareness
• No taking advantage of home conditions
• Lack of a strong middle-order partnership

Even captain Mohammad Rizwan admitted to the mistakes his team had made during the post-match presentation:
“We never thought that they would set such a high target. We really tried hard, but they played well and just took the game away from us.”

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