Former Pakistan cricketer, Ramiz Raja, has expressed his disappointment and concerns about Pakistan's performance in their World Cup 2023 match against Australia on Friday at Bengaluru.
In a recent interview with Star Sports, Raja highlighted several key issues that Pakistan needs to address as they prepare for their upcoming match against Afghanistan on October 23rd at M. A. Chidambaram Stadium, Chennai.
"I have never seen anyone giving such a massive punishment for a dropped catch. A lot of catches are dropped but I have never seen anyone scoring 150-160. So it is a wake-up call for Pakistan that you will keep getting punished until you hold catches," Ramiz said.
"Once you lose the momentum, it is difficult to get it back and win. The next match is against Afghanistan in Chennai, which will not be an easy match as Pakistan's batters don't play spin that well," he added.
The former PCB Chairman didn't spare the bowlers either, as he criticized their performance against Australia, pointing out the need for significant improvements.
"A lot of things need to be corrected. This bowling was world-class a month ago and massive discussions need to happen if you concede 365 - when you do defensive bowling, why can't you bowl length balls consistently, or why you are unable to bowl wicket-taking balls," he said.
In addition to this, the 61-year-old also took a swipe at Pakistan's batters for their inability to post substantial scores, especially when facing tough opposition.
"Pakistan freezes whenever they get a slightly stiff opposition. The World Cup campaign suffers a setback like this. If you don't win, you forget how to win. Australia showed how you can bat on a good pitch. The 60s and 70s look good but you don't win the match with that, I am talking about Pakistan," he concluded.
Following their loss to Australia yesterday, Pakistan has descended to the fifth position on the ICC 2023 World Cup points table, while the Australian team has made a significant leap from the tenth spot to secure the fourth position.