Akhtar tears into Babar Azam after India crush Pakistan; 'Have said this multiple times..'

Former speedster Shoaib Akhtar has slammed the Pakistan team following their defeat against India at the ongoing Asia Cup on Sunday. Akhtar lashed out at Pakistan captain Babar Azam and the team management for picking the wrong starting XI for the match. Akhtar, while speaking on his official YouTube channel, slammed Babar for playing Iftikhar Ahmed at the number four position in the lineup. 

The Rawalpindi Express also criticised Pakistan opener Mohammad Rizwan for not playing at a good strike rate and wasting far too many deliveries. Meanwhile, Akhtar slammed the Pakistan team management and players over the injuries they sustained during the match. Akhtar asked Pakistan's management to take good care of players before so that they can perform to their full potential. Naseem Shah and Haris Rauf were seen completing their overs despite suffering from severe cramps.

"If Rizwan scores 45 runs off 45 balls then obviously this was bound to happen. Pakistan went for 19 dot balls in the first six overs, just imagine. If you play so many dot balls in the first powerplay then you will obviously get into trouble. Both captains tried their best to pick the wrong teams. They dropped Rishabh Pant and we played Iftikhar Ahmed at number four. I have said this multiple times that Babar Azam shouldn't open in T20Is. He should play the anchor's role at number 3," Akhtar said. 

India vs Pakistan

As far as the match is concerned, India won by 5 wickets as they chased down a low total of 147 runs in 19.4 overs. Hardik Pandya and Ravindra Jadeja played a crucial role with the bat to help India secure the victory. Hardik also performed well with the ball, picking three wickets in his quota of four overs. Bhuvneshwar Kumar spearheaded the attack with the ball as he scalped four wickets to his name. 

Hardik remained unbeaten at 33 off 17 balls to finish the chase for India. Earlier, Hardik and Jadeja forged a 52-run partnership to rescue the Men in Blue from a shaky start. The Gujarat-born cricketer was named the player of the match for his all-around performance. 

Image: Twitter/@BCCI/Instagram/@imshoaibakhtar