Pakistan have not announced their official squad for the ICC Men's Cricket World Cup starting from October 5 in India.
There are changes expected in the squad after the Men in Green were knocked out of the race for the Asia Cup final as Sri Lanka defeated them in a last-ball thriller by two wickets at R.Premedasa Stadium on Thursday.
There have been questions raised on the capability of the spin department as they could not perform as per expectations in the Asia Cup despite conditions and pitches offering assistance to the spinners.
Fans of the national side are now coming up with their suggestions and think the side is missing an x-factor in the spin department and the inclusion of mystery spinner Abrar Ahmed can solve the problems.
On the other hand, Abrar Ahmed is also not part of the Karachi Whites team for their round 2 fixture of the Quaid-e-Azam Trophy at the Pindi Cricket Stadium despite taking six wickets.
Netizens speculate maybe this is a hint of not selecting the spinner as we may see him in the squad. Here are a few reactions:
Meanwhile, Pakistan leg-spinner Usama Mir backed Shadab Khan after the latter was criticised on social media for his below-par performances in the recent past.
“To our dear fans, thank you for your support wherever we are in the World. It truly means a lot,” Mir, who was part of Asia Cup squad said on X, which was formerly known as Twitter.
“But support should be a two-way thing. In good times everyone praises us. And then as soon as we have a few bad games we are the worst cricketers of all time and nobody is with us. This really hurts. We need your support more in the bad times than in the good.
He also spoke about how the fans treated him after he was unable to perform in accordance with expectations for the national side.
“When I debuted for Pakistan, everyone was hyping me up. I had a great year from National T20, to the Pakistan Cup, to the PSL, to the T20 Blast, to the Hundred and also the New Zealand ODI series. After 1/2 average games vs Afghanistan suddenly I'm an average bowler and don't deserve to be in the side? This is crazy,” he said.
He also urged fans to stop unnecessary criticism since it adversely impacts the players.
“I think we need to stop this unnecessary criticism. It does have an impact on players. The management and captain put in tremendous effort for Pakistan's success. And I am confident we will find it,” he said.
“We're going through a slight tough time at the moment but I'm hopeful the Pakistan team will bring happiness and joy very soon. Remember our team in your prayers. Pakistan Zindabad,” he concluded.
- Abrar Ahmed
