Lagatar24 Desk
Karachi: The Pakistan women’s cricket team faced harsh criticism after their crushing defeat against New Zealand in the T20 World Cup, getting bowled out for just 56 runs in 11.4 overs. The match, which was crucial for Pakistan to secure a place in the semifinals, saw the team collapse spectacularly while chasing a modest target of 111. Despite restricting New Zealand to 110 for 6, Pakistan slipped from 28 for 5 to an all-out 56, ultimately missing out on the semifinals, with Australia and New Zealand advancing from Group A.
Basit Ali’s Scathing Criticism
Former Pakistan cricketer Basit Ali was among the many experts who expressed frustration over the team’s performance. Ali took to his YouTube channel to ridicule the team, comparing their play to badminton rather than cricket. His criticism extended to Tania Mallick, the head of Pakistan women’s cricket, who is a former national badminton champion. “It seemed like Pakistan were playing badminton, not cricket,” Basit said sarcastically. “Our women’s cricket chairperson is a badminton player, and it showed in the way the team played.”
Fielding Woes and Poor Shot Selection
Ali didn’t hold back while addressing the team’s shoddy fielding, sarcastically commenting on their numerous dropped catches. “Mashallah, 11-12 catches dropped, easy ones. Dolly, dolly, dolly!” he remarked.
Ali also criticized the team’s shot selection and chaotic batting order as they tried to chase the target too quickly to improve their net run rate. “Who got out on a good ball? Muneeba (Ali) played a cross-batted shot. They were getting run-out, playing bad shots,” he said.
Praise for Fatima Sana
However, Basit reserved some praise for Pakistan captain Fatima Sana, who recently lost her father but still managed to contribute the most runs for her team (21 runs). “Sana Fatima lost her father recently; she played the best knock,” he said, acknowledging her resilience during a challenging time.
Broader Criticism of Pakistan Cricket
Basit extended his criticism to Pakistan cricket as a whole, reflecting on the men’s team’s loss in the first Test against England despite scoring more than 500 in their first innings. He sarcastically suggested that the men’s team’s defeat had also impacted the women’s team. “I think the way Pakistan lost the first Test, it shocked the women’s team as well, and they too couldn’t play,” he said.
He concluded by expressing his personal disappointment with the manner in which the Pakistan women’s team collapsed, stating that their decision to alter the batting order left him baffled. “The way they changed the batting order, it was beyond me to comprehend,” he remarked.
