Some Pakistani players were seen practicing catching on old mattresses.© X (Twitter)
Big changes are expected in the Pakistan team after a disappointing exit from the T20 World Cup. The team led by Babar Azam was knocked out of the tournament in the group stage itself after losing to USA and India. The team is being criticized by the cricket fraternity and fans, with some even saying that the board should sack the entire team. A few days after arriving in Pakistan, captain Babar Azam was seen training at the training complex of Gaddafi Stadium in Lahore. Amid the criticism of the team, a video went viral on social media, in which some Pakistani players were seen doing catching drills.
In a bizarre incident, some players, including opener Imam-ul-Haq, were seen practising catching on old mattresses. However, the video has been widely criticised with fans calling the practice “ridiculous”.
Watch the video here:
Fans reacted as follows:
Following their early exit from the tournament, Pakistan players have been accused of indulging in politics within the team. Rumours have also spread that there are factions within the team and that the senior members are not on the same page.
On Tuesday, Pakistan wicketkeeper-batsman Mohammad Rizwan while speaking to the media in Peshawar spoke about the team's early exit from the T20 World Cup held in the USA.
Although Rizwan admitted that the criticism from fans was justified, he dismissed rumours of politics and factionalism within the team, calling it 'outside nonsense'.
“People are saying there is some politics and some differences within the team. If there were any differences, we would have lost matches before. These are just external things. The same team has played the finals and semi-finals, but it is true that we have not won any trophy,” Rizwan said during a press conference in Peshawar.
He said, “The criticism of the team is justified and we deserve it, because we did not live up to the expectations. Players who cannot face criticism will not be able to succeed. We are disappointed with our performance in the T20 World Cup. There are many reasons behind our defeat. When a team loses, no one can say that the bowling and batting are doing well.”
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