Wasim Akram: “Criticise a player to a certain extent, don’t go below the belt”
Image courtesy of: Pakistan Super League
Pakistan great Wasim Akram said people shouldn’t “go below the belt” when criticising a player.
His comments were made in relation to batsman Asif Ali, who is known for his power and ability to hit sixes.
Asif has been in dangerous form in the T20 World Cup.
He didn’t bat in Pakistan’s 10-wicket demolition of India, which marked Pakistan’s first-ever World Cup win over their arch-rivals.
However, in the game against New Zealand, which Pakistan won by five wickets, he thumped 27 off 12 balls, which included a boundary and three sixes.
Asif maintained his momentum in the five-wicket win over Afghanistan as he smashed an unbeaten 25 off seven balls, which included four sixes.
All the sixes he hit came in the 19th over off the bowling of Karim Janat, where he finished off the game and led Pakistan to a five-wicket win.
Pakistan continued their unbeaten run by taking down Namibia by 45 runs, but Asif didn’t bat in the match.
In the team’s 72-run win against Scotland, he remained unbeaten on five runs.
“Criticise a player to a certain extent, don’t go below the belt,” Wasim told A Sports as quoted by Cricket Pakistan.
Pakistan will now face Australia in the semi-finals on Thursday.
Pakistan T20 World Cup Squad: Babar Azam (c), Shadab Khan (vc), Asif Ali, Fakhar Zaman, Haider Ali, Haris Rauf, Hasan Ali, Imad Wasim, Mohammad Hafeez, Mohammad Nawaz, Mohammad Rizwan (wk), Mohammad Wasim Jnr, Sarfaraz Ahmed (wk), Shaheen Shah Afridi, Shoaib Malik
Pakistan T20 World Cup Reserves: Khushdil Shah, Shahnawaz Dahani, Usman Qadir
ALSO CHECK OUT: Who’s laughing now, Wasim Akram on Pakistan player who has shut his critics up