Pakistani Men’s cricket team lacked fitness and unity, a local media outlet quoted Pakistan’s head coach Gary Kirsten after the side faced an early exit from the T20 World Cup due to dismal performance.
According to a Geo Super report, Kirsten in a candid discussion with the team said that players’ fitness level was not up to the mark. Many cricket experts had expressed similar concerns before the mega event.
The 2009 champions were knocked out after the USA-Ireland match was abandoned because of rain – the earliest-ever elimination from a T20 World Cup for Pakistan.
They suffered a shock defeat to first-timers USA before losing to arch-rivals India.
The national cricket team is likely to undergo a “major surgery,” according to Pakistan Cricket Board Chairman Mohsin Naqvi’s statement after the shocking loss against India in the mega event.
The Pakistani batting lineup also failed in Sunday’s match against Ireland in Florida. Cameos from Abbas Afridi and Shaheen Shah Afridi led the team to victory.
The Pakistani batting lineup also failed in Sunday’s match against Ireland in Florida. Cameos from Abbas Afridi and Shaheen Shah Afridi led the team to victory.
Kirsten said that, ever since he joined, he has “noticed that there is no unity” in the team. Players “don’t support each other and he hasn’t seen a situation like this before” despite working with many teams, he added.
It merits here to mention that the former South African cricketer led the Indian team to lift the World Cup trophy in 2011.
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He told the players that only those players would be part of the team who value unity, focus on fitness and improve their skill set. The coach for the limited overs noted that players’ fitness level was below par.
The team was also “far behind” in terms of skill level as compared with the rest of the world, the report quoted him as saying. He added that fit players having unity amongst each other would be part of the team.
