LAUDERHILL - Former Pakistan cricketer Ramiz Raja has expressed his dissatisfaction with the team’s performance after the Men in Green’s disappointing performance in the ICC T20 World Cup 2024, resulting in their early exit before the Super 8 stage.
About the team’s performance, Ramiz, in a recent video posted on his YouTube channel, said: “For Pakistan, this World Cup started disastrously and ended the same way. If you’re dependent on other teams or the weather forecast to advance, you’ll never make it to the finals or even the next stage of the tournament. There are fundamental principles of cricket that must be adhered to, and these never change.”
Ramiz, a former PCB Chairman, also criticized the selection of certain players, implying that some should not have been part of the squad. “Naseem Shah was a standout performer, both as a bowler and a batsman against India. He was one of the few bright spots. However, the rest of the players were just fine, nothing exceptional.”
He went on to criticize the team’s leadership and selection policies. “Several players in the team perform like dead weight, yet they are repeatedly selected because there are no alternatives. Leadership is not valued, and captains are not allowed to make decisions.
“Retired players are included for their experience despite their attitudes towards the captain. Decisions need to be based on merit and cricketing sense. Sacrificing others to save your own position is not how you run cricket,” said the former cricketer.
Ramiz also analyzed the team’s performances in specific matches, particularly against the USA, India, and Canada. “In the first match against the USA, the team made numerous errors. Against India, they couldn’t even score 100 runs.
“The crowd expected Pakistan to finish the game against Canada within 14 overs, but the team failed to learn from previous mistakes. They should have bowled hard lengths on that pitch, but the fast bowlers failed to execute. While the bowling was good against India and Canada, the batting was lackluster,” Ramiz concluded.
