The Pakistan cricket team had a horrendous start to their T20 World Cup 2024 campaign. In their opening game of the competition, Pakistan faced a shocking loss at the hands of co-hosts USA. The US team produced a clinical performance to get the better of their Asian opponents in the Super Over. The defeat was certainly a major upset and Pakistan’s gameplay has not gone down well with former cricketers. Former skipper Salman Butt recently shared his views on the Babar Azam-led side’s performance. Speaking on Cricket Baithak’s YouTube channel, he said that it seemed like the Pakistan cricket team had arrived in the USA “on foot.” Butt was also disappointed with ace pacer Shaheen Afridi’s bowling.
“It is what it is. I don’t know what to say. It seemed that the Pakistan team came to USA on foot. Body language was very lethargic and there was no energy. It also seemed like we have been playing cricket for 150 years,” Salman Butt explained.
Pakistan’s much-talked-about bowling attack appeared to be pale in front of a relatively inexperienced USA batting line-up. Defending a 160-run target, Pakistan could manage to pick up only three wickets. Left-arm fast bowler Shaheen Afridi failed to live up to expectations and could not claim a single wicket. Completing his four overs, Afridi conceded 33 runs. Butt also criticised Shaheen Afridi and said that the pacer has nothing in his armory apart from the yorkers.
“Pakistan boast about their fast bowling but we didn’t bowl a single bouncer against the USA. Is this the same bowling that Ramiz Raja and others made a hype of. We needed to win the game by taking wickets but they lost only wickets after crossing 100. Being an associate nation, I thought USA should’ve been under pressure, but in this case it seemed that Pakistan were the minnows. USA looked so relaxed. They had better field placements than us. Shaheen doesn’t seem to have anything other than yorkers. If his ball isn’t swinging, he becomes zero,” Butt said.
In their next T20 World Cup fixture, Pakistan will be up against arch-rivals India on Sunday, June 9.
