ISLAMABAD  - Several former cricketers have blasted the performance of senior players in the national outfit during the ongoing T20 World Cup and asked them to call it a day to pave way for the younger generation to take over the mantle.
"There is a lesson in every defeat. For Pakistan, there are genuine concerns about the performance of their five to six senior players. They have remained inconsistent in the mega event," said former Test cricketer Sikandar Bakht while commenting upon Pakistan team's defeat in the semi-final against Sri Lanka.
He said skipper M Hafeez, Shahid Afridi, Shoaib Malik, Kamran Akmal, Abdul Razzaq and Imran Nazir had failed to impress in the event. Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) should make a decision about these players and replace them with new blood, he added.
Former fast bowler and bowling coach Aqib Javed also expressed similar views. He said there were several young players, who could take on the baton from the senior generation of cricketers and get going. "T20 cricket is for the young and fresh lads," he said.
Former captain Amir Sohail lambasted inclusion of Imran Nazir in the team. "His inclusion in the team spoiled the team's composition. He tries to hit every ball and does not know to take singles," he said.
He said in the semi-final Pakistan batsmen should have scored runs with the new ball but they failed to do that. He said Pakistan needed fresh legs and stronger shoulders if they really wanted to become a strong side.
Former test cricketer Basit Ali said that it was worrying to watch Pakistan failing to chase an easy target of 140 runs. "The defeat is the result of bad planning."
He said that the performance of foreign qualified coaches was not satisfactory. "We don't need foreign coaches in the presence of Javed Miandad and other Pakistani cricket legends," he remarked.
Former leg spinner Mushtaq Ahmed said it appeared that no plan was chalked out to achieve the target. He said after restricting the strong Sri Lankan batting lineup to 139, Pakistan should have assessed that it was not easy to hit boundaries on that ground.
"The target was achievable through a proper planning. But the batsmen were looking eager to hit boundaries at a time when it was necessary to stay on the crease and take singles," he said.
Former captain and batsmen Younus Khan, who is appearing as an expert on a TV channel said that Pakistan batsmen failed to score runs on new ball. "They also failed to rotate the strike and tried to hit boundaries when it was necessary to move forward with planning," he added.
He also felt that Imran Nazir had remained inconsistent throughout his career. "He has not done his chances of remaining in the team and giving inconsistent performance consecutively so he must be sacked from national squad.”