Raja shocked at Pakistan's humiliating defeat vs Zimbabwe, Malik demands Misbah's sacking

As Zimbabwe stunned Pakistan on Friday to snatch a victory from the jaws of defeat, veterans of the game Ramiz Raja and Shoaib Malik expressed their displeasure with Babar Azam and his men. Chasing a paltry total of 119 in the second T20 of the series, Pakistan faltered as it was reduced from 77/2 to 99 all-out courtesy of wrecker-in-chief Luke Jongwe. Reviewing the performance by the Men in Green, Raja and Malik came down heavily against Pakistan on the humiliating defeat faced at the hands of Zimbabwe - which is ranked 12th on the ICC T20 Rankings table much below fourth-ranked Pakistan. 

Terming it as a 'dark moment in the history of Pakistan,' former batsman and captain Ramiz Raja remarked that Azam's men had put up an 'ordinary batting' display against a 'club-level side'. Opining that there was no technique or partnership, Raja said that the 'Pakistan team looked like a rabbit in headlights'. 

'I am shocked'

"Pakistan team looked like a rabbit in the headlights. They were expecting disasters, did not back themselves and showed an ordinary performance against a club level side. I'm shocked as to whether I should analyse this or express anger over this. This clearly is a very dark moment in our history," said Raja on a video uploaded on his YouTube channel.

On the other hand, Shoaib Malik recused Babar Azam of the blame and aimed his criticism on head coach Misbah-Ul-Haq as he demanded an international coach for the team. Taking to Twitter, Malik asserted that Babaz Azam and chief selectors need to call the shots and added Pakistan needs an international coach who 'understands' cricket. 

Pakistan vs Zimbabwe 2nd T20:

Invited to bat first, Zimbabwe posted a total of 118 in 20 overs. Captain Sean Williams sat out this match as Brendan Taylor, who returned from an illness, replaced him as captain. Williams was forced to miss the match as he recuperates from a soft tissue injury to his left hand. Talking about Pakistan's bowling, every bowler got a wicket, however, Mohammad Hunain and Danish Aziz shared two wickets each. Debutant Arshad Iqbal got his first wicket as he dismissed Tadiwanashe Marumani on 13. 

Led by wrecker-in-chief Luke Jongwe, Zimbabwe went on to shell-shock Pakistan and bag a victory by 19 runs in the last over of the game. Jonge's four wickets and a brace from Ryan Burl reduced Pakistan's chase from 77/2 to 99 all-out. Jongwe also accounted for Pak skipper Babar Azam who led the chase and top-scored with 41 runs. 

"We played poor cricket in the batting department. Credit to Zimbabwe for playing good cricket. The surface was stopping a bit and was two-paced. But it's no excuse, we're professionals and need to deal with it. Hopefully, we will come back strong in the next game," said skipper Babar Azam after the match.