Former Pakistani captain Misbah ul Haq named one player to be changed from the Pakistan cricket team following India’s seven wickets in the 12th match of the ongoing ICC World Cup 2023 at the Narendra Modi Stadium, Ahmedabad on Saturday.
Many questions were raised after a historic defeat and fans are now calling for big names like Shadab Khan to be dropped as the 24-year-old has been consistently giving subpar performances for a long time.
Even before the World Cup started, there were serious questions raised on the all-rounder’s selection in the squad following his abysmal performance in the Asia Cup 2023. However, skipper Babar Azam assured the Chairman of the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) Management Committee, Zaka Ashraf, that Shadab will be dropped if he doesn’t perform.
Misbah addressed the performance of Pakistan’s spin department of Mohammad Nawaz and Shadab, and just like everyone else, believed that it is time to include Usama Mir in the squad over the latter.
“I think Nawaz is still bowling well [as compared to Shadab], if you see his performance from the last 2-3 matches, he is batting with confidence. However, Shadab, even if you look at today’s bowling [against India] he didn't have that confidence to land the ball at the right place,” Misbah said while talking in a local sports show.
“When you are playing T20 cricket [for a long time] and you have to play 50-over cricket suddenly, it gets difficult. If you have all these problems, then you have a bowler in your squad in Usama Mir, and it’s time you go for him.”
Misbah then weighed in on the Green Shirts’ next matches saying that they have no room for error and every match is now a do-or-die.
“The situation is now that every game has become a do-or-die contest,” he added.
Earlier, Rohit Sharma powered his side to a crucial win that saw them going all the way to the top of the ICC World Cup points table with a staggering 1.82 run rate.
The Hitman, who scored 140 against Pakistan in the 2019 World Cup, showcased his batting skills once again and top-scored for the winning side with 86 off 63 balls. His rapid knock included 12 boundaries.
This was India’s record eighth win in as many matches against the arch-rivals in World Cup history.
Batting first, the Green Shirts were restricted to 191 in 42.5 overs courtesy of a collapse that saw them lose eight wickets for just 36 runs in 12.5 overs.