Shoaib Akhtar reiterates claim of Pakistan’s first-round exit in T20 World Cup after series defeat to England

Pakistan’s one-sided loss in the seventh and final T20I against England in Lahore, which also resulted in them losing the series 3-4, has been met with widespread criticism from both fans as well as pundits with pace legend Shoaib Akhtar continuing to state that the team was headed for a first-round exit in the T20 World Cup that starts later this month.

This is not the first time Akhtar has made such a claim. He had slammed the team picked for the showpiece T20I event Down Under, calling chief selector Mohammad Wasim “average” and head coach Saqlain Mushtaq as someone who didn’t understand T20 cricket and feared the team would bow out of the tournament in the very first round.

In the latest video posted on his YouTube channel on Sunday, Akhtar repeated his claim, pointing to the Pakistani middle-order as the primary area of concern.

“As I have said before, I fear that this Pakistan team can go out of the World Cup in the first round itself. Pakistan middle order is not good. Plus Pakistan’s openers if they don’t perform, middle order gets into pressure. This is not the way to go into a World Cup if you want to win the World Cup. It is very sad.

“That’s why I had criticised Saqlain Mushtaq (Pakistan’s coach) and others to get your middle order and batting order in order. Somehow, they are not listening. It’s very sad to see that Pakistan is not doing well. It’s disheartening,” Akhtar said in the video filmed at the Edgbaston Cricket Ground in Birmingham.

Pakistan fly to New Zealand for a T20I triangular series also featuring Bangladesh in what will be their final assignment before the big event that takes place on the other side of the Tasman Sea.

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