Pakistan cricketer Ahmed Shehzad has fiercely criticized the Men in Green following their early exit from the 2024 T20 World Cup. The 32-year-old condemned the players for holding unnecessary press conferences and playing the religion card to deflect from their poor performances in the prestigious ICC event.
Shehzad has also accused Babar Azam and his team of creating divisions within the squad, an issue he has highlighted multiple times.
Shehzad expressed his frustrations on X, saying (translated from Urdu by Google):
“It is really disappointing that some players are hiding their poor performance in the World Cup by holding unnecessary press conferences and playing the religion card. Where does religion go when they lie about their fitness and when they admit they were acting on the field? Does religion teach you to deceive others and lie in the field?”
He continued, “You are paid to perform on the field and you join the grouping in the team instead. Religion teaches us to fulfill our responsibility with full determination and not to lie about our suffering.”
Shehzad’s remarks came shortly after Mohammad Rizwan’s press conference, where the wicketkeeper-batter emphasized the importance of representing Islam and Pakistan. Rizwan stated in a video shared on X:
“I think that every person is a brand ambassador for two things. If he is a Muslim, he represents Islam wherever he goes in the world. Secondly, he’s a brand ambassador of Pakistan. What people say, we don’t care about that.”
“We Will Not Let PCB Chairman Mohsin Naqvi Forget the Big Surgery He Promised” – Ahmed Shehzad on Pakistan’s 2024 T20 World Cup Failure
Ahmed Shehzad also called on PCB Chairman Mohsin Naqvi to conduct a thorough examination of Pakistan’s World Cup failure. He wrote on X (translated from Urdu by Google):
“Some spokespeople for these players want them to be given another chance, but why? This is the Pakistan team and it is not their home team where they can play. If they want another chance, they can make their own team and play with their friends but not for Pakistan cricket team anymore.”
Shehzad added, “We will not let PCB Chairman Mohsin Naqvi forget the big surgery he promised. Some players of the Pakistani team are now even mocking the chairman’s statement because they don’t care. But we will make sure that fans get their answers and action is taken against these players. We have taken a stand and we will not back down until this Pakistan team is back on the right track.”
In the midst of this turmoil, 12 Pakistan players have been granted NOCs to participate in various leagues including the Major League Cricket, Caribbean Premier League, County Cricket, Lanka Premier League, World Championship of Legends, and The Hundred.
The situation underscores the growing tensions within Pakistan cricket and the calls for accountability and change following their disappointing World Cup campaign.
