Wasim Akram alleges ’rift between players’ after Pakistan’s poor show in T20 World Cup 2024

Pakistan's T20 World Cup 2024 campaign is not going as expected as they faced two back-to-back defeats against co-host United States of America and India. The Babar Azam-led team secured a victory against Canada on Tuesday, but the veteran players are not happy with the conduct and energy of the cricket team. Former Pakistan pacer Wasim Akram lashed out at the Pakistan team and said that the cricket authorities must replace them with a new team. 

"I can't bring that (killer) instinct in them. It has to come from within," Wasim Akram said ahead of the Pakistan vs Canada match. "Boht ho gaya, boht back kar liya. Ab ye viral ho jaye ho jaye, I don't care (enough is enough, backed them enough, now I don't care even if this goes viral)," NDTV quoted Wasim Akram as saying. 

"Somebody has to speak the truth about this Pakistan cricket (team). It's kind of getting out of hand. Kisi ka mood off hai, woh uss se baat nahi kar raha, yeh uss se baat nahi kar raha (somebody's mood is off, this guy is not talking to that guy). Come on, guys! What is this going on? Poore mulq ke jazbaat ka tumne satyanaash maar ke rakh diya hai. Hadd hoti hai kisi cheez ki (you have played with the emotions of the entire nation; there is a limit to everything)," the former pacer added. 

"Enough is enough! Done! Bring in new kids, make a new Pakistan team. The entire Pakistan community back home and here (in the US) is depressed. They were celebrating that we are winning (against India), after a long time, that too against such a big team. But they (Pakistan team) said 'no, we don't want to win come what may'," Akram said. 

Rifts in Pakistan cricket team

The reports of factionalism in Pakistan cricket team are all over the internet and came out in public after the ODI World Cup 2023 debacle. Babar Azam stepped down from captaincy after Pakistan's poor performance in the tournament and he was replaced by pacer Shaheen Shah Afridi in the white ball format. 

Ahead of the T20 World Cup 2024, the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) brought Babar Azam back at the helm of affairs, and as per the report, the decision didn't go very well with Shaheen Shah Afridi and his supporters in the team.