Pakistan’s premature exit from the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2024 has sparked a firestorm on social media, with captain Babar Azam and his team facing widespread criticism. The controversy escalated following the emergence of a video showing Pakistan pacer Haris Rauf in a confrontation with a fan, prompting several teammates to voice their support for him. In response, former Pakistan batter Ahmed Shehzad launched a blistering attack, calling for players to end their holidays abroad and return home.
Ahmed Shehzad’s scathing critique
Shehzad, who has been vocal in his criticism of Babar and the team in recent weeks, condemned the players for backing Rauf rather than apologizing to the fans. He expressed disappointment that the players chose to post messages supporting Rauf instead of taking responsibility for the team’s poor performance in the World Cup.
“While we fully condemn what happened to Haris Rauf, it is also important that the posts put up by the players in support of Haris should be taken away from the fans due to his poor performance in the World Cup. It should have been as an apology,” Shehzad wrote on X (formerly Twitter).
Also READ: Pakistan pacer Haris Rauf reveals the reason behind his viral altercation with a fan in USA
Calls for accountability
Shehzad accused the under-fire Pakistani cricketers of attempting to divert attention from their failures by posting supportive messages. He demanded accountability from the players, emphasizing their lack of major achievements for Pakistan in the last five years.
“It would be good if these players would apologize to the nation, if these players would be ashamed, and if these players would return to Pakistan instead of spending holidays in America, England, or Dubai. These posts by the players should not change the narrative and the fans should get answers for the poor performances of the players,” added Shehzad.
Emphasis on collective success
Highlighting what he sees as a focus on personal milestones over team success, Shehzad underscored the need for a shift in priorities among Pakistan’s players.
“Accountability is very important now. The same group of players have not won anything for our country in the last five years and they have kept prioritizing personal milestones rather than the collective success of Pakistan,” Shehzad added further.
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