The Pakistan cricket team has been facing the heat ever since their disappointing 89-run loss against India in the World Cup on Sunday.
With their hopes of qualifying for the semi-finals dangling by a thread, constant criticism has flown in, not only from fans but also from former cricketers. And now Aaquib Javed has joined the chorus.
Part of the 1992 squad that won the World Cup under the leadership of Imran Khan, Javed said the current squad is no match for the Indian players who have advanced far ahead in terms of quality.
“India have gone far ahead of Pakistan in terms of batting, bowling, and fielding. Rohit Sharma is a seasoned, experienced and class batsman; Rahul is as good as anyone, technically sound and sharp. Then Virat Kohli… there is no match between the sides. Basically, there is a huge gulf between the skill sets of the India and Pakistan teams,” he was quoted as saying in an interview by Mumbai Mirror.
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Sarfaraz Ahmed, who made the headlines with his almighty yawn, was among the players to be lambasted heavily with former pacer Shoaib Akhtar even calling him a “brainless captain” following Sunday’s defeat. Javed called Ahmed a weak leader who has no authority over the team.
“Since 2015, Sarfaraz has been struggling for his place in the team. He became a captain by accident as the boards make changes after every World Cup. Since the 2017 Champions Trophy final, Pakistan have done nothing… they even lost to Australia and New Zealand in the UAE. As a captain, he can’t demand anything in front of chief selector Inzamam-ul-Haq and coach Mickey Arthur.
“No player is looking at Sarfaraz as a leader who will back him. There is no harmony between the coach, captain, and chief selector. Sarfaraz is very, very weak, cannot show his authority on the field and off it as well. He cannot assert himself in front of even Inzamam,” Javed added.
Javed has enjoyed his best performances against India, including a hat-trick in 1991. He still holds the record of being the youngest player to achieve the feat. He now believes things have changed vastly from the era he competed in.
“That was a different era. The mindset of the Indian team of that era was what the Pakistan team is having now, a defensive mindset. It was not a winning mindset. When we would play India in the 90s, we never thought that we would not beat India.
“Things have changed. Now we can’t even imagine how Pakistan can beat India. This change has been engineered by Sourav Ganguly. He brought something different to the Indian cricket psyche. That has been carried forward by MS Dhoni and now by Virat Kohli. They have also got exposure to high-quality cricket in the IPL and they play like champions,” he added.