Pakistan took a drubbing at the hands of England in their final hope for a semifinal spot in the World Cup 2023. The Men in Green suffered a 93-run defeat in their final game, where they needed a big win to have any chances of a semifinal appearance in the tournament. Criticism from around the corners is striking Pakistan Cricket and their former players are now counting on the mistakes made by the 1992 champions in the disappointing campaign in 2023.
Former Pakistan skipper Misbah Ul Haq has claimed that the Pakistan Cricket Board and team management ignored the advice of having a relook at the spin department before the tournament kicked off. Pakistan's spin stocks were below average in conditions where the spinners generally rule the roost. Vice-captain Shadab Khan has taken two wickets in six World Cup games, while Iftikhar Ahmed and Usama Mir have four each.
Misbah, who was appointed to PCB's technical committee alongside Mohammad Hafeez and Inzamam Ul Haq, claimed that PCB and team management ignored his and Hafeez's advice of having a relook at their spin stocks. "When the Pakistan Cricket Board chairman (Zaka Ashraf) asked for my and Hafeez’s advice for the World Cup. I told them clearly (that) they needed another spinner since the form of Shadab (Khan) and Mohammad Nawaz was a source of concern since before the Asia Cup," he said to Ary News Channel.
The ex-captain added that the spinners lacked confidence but the management did not want to 'disturb' the combination. "I told them the performance of the two spinners didn’t evoke confidence and they should revisit their spin bowling plans. They just kept on saying that we are carrying the same set of players, (or the) same team for more than a year and they didn’t want to disturb it," he said.
Notably, Pakistan captain Babar Azam also highlighted that their death bowling and spin department was not up to the mark. "We conceded a few too many runs. We bowled a few loose deliveries towards the end.
And our spinners' aren't taking wickets, which doesn't help. That has a big effect because you need to take wickets in the middle overs," Babar said after Pakistan's loss to England in World Cup 2023.
