Pakistan suffered a shocking defeat against Sri Lanka in what was a must-win game for both teams in the penultimate game of the Super Four stage of the Asia Cup 2023.
Pakistan suffered a shocking defeat against Sri Lanka in what was a must-win game for both teams in the penultimate game of the Super Four stage of the Asia Cup 2023. This defeat knocked Pakistan out of the tournament, with Sri Lanka booking their place in the final, where they will face India on Sunday (September 17). It must have been a tough pill to swallow for Pakistan, who were looked at as one of the favourites before the tournament.
Things started to fall for them from the India game, as Pakistan went down by a shocking 228-run margin in Colombo. Two consecutive defeats in the crucial phase booked an early ticket for them. While the injuries didn’t help them, Pakistan also played some average cricket as the tournament progressed, with their main players failing to step up in crunch situations.
After a massive defeat against India, the Men in Green pressed the panic button and made several changes ahead of the do-or-die game. While the bowlers did try to pull the game back, Sri Lanka held their nerves to storm into the finals. Now, the rumours coming out from the Pakistan dressing room after this loss are ominous signs about the team environment.
If the sources are to be believed, the Pakistan captain Babar Azam and the ace pacer Shaheen Afridi had a little verbal strife in the dressing room after the defeat against Sri Lanka. According to Bolnews, Babar Azam exclaimed that some players have started to assume themselves as superstars in this team and are not playing responsibly.
As Babar was going through his post-match dressing room speech, Shaheen interrupted the talk and asked Babar to at least praise the players who batted and bowled well in the game. However, Babar didn’t like this intervention and angrily replied, “I know who’s performing well”.
Also Read: The genius move by the Sri Lankan tailender that put them in the Asia Cup final
As things started to heat further, Mohammad Rizwan had to step in and calm the situation and stop this argument between the most prominent Pakistani players.
While there is no confirmation of the above incident, a famous Pakistani news channel ‘BOL News’ broke this news a few hours back. Few journalists are also quoting the same incident across social media platforms.
If this news is indeed true, it is a worrying sign for Pakistan cricket ahead of the World Cup. A successful team have a light team environment, with every player taking constructive criticism to work on certain areas. Babar and Shaheen are Pakistan’s biggest hopes for their chances in the mega event.
They need to have a healthy relationship and take the team forward together. The fans would hope that this news is just a rumour. But, if this is more than a rumour, the team management should sort out things between the duo before the World Cup.
For more updates, follow CricXtasy on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, and YouTube.
