Former Pakistan cricket team all-rounder Imad Wasim has blasted the team's performance in the Champions Trophy 2025 and even said that it was the 'right way' to play cricket. Pakistan did not win a single match as they were eliminated from the competition in the group stages. The tournament led to a lot of criticism - both from experts as well as fans - as they took aim at the cricketers as well as the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) officials. In a video going viral on social media, Imad was seen criticising the national team and he said that he does not feel like watching the Pakistan team play anymore.
“You got to play cricket like it should be played at. This is not the right way. For me, if you ask me as a cricketer, not even as a Pakistani, as a cricketer, I watch some of the games of the Pakistan team play, and I feel I just don't want to watch it," Imad said.
“Look, the interest will lose eventually. People won't come and watch cricket if we play like this. You must have seen the crowd was full in the England-Australia match (February 22 in Lahore) and how they play cricket. I can understand the solution, what I am telling you. When you go somewhere, you assess the condition, and then you play. But your first instinct is to go out there and attack the opposition. And then, if you lose wickets, then you can assess the condition again, like this is 250, 260, 300 wickets, or whatever. So, your first instinct is just to go out there and attack, not to think like, okay, we scored 250. So, like, we are way behind where the world is," he added.
Meanwhile, Jasprit Bumrah is likely to miss the initial rounds of the IPL 2025 matches for Mumbai Indians as the star pacer is still recovering from the lower back injury that rendered him out of action since January.
Bumrah suffered the injury during the second day of the fifth Test against Australia at Sydney and did not bowl in Australia's second innings where they chased 162 successfully to emerge a six-wicket winner.
Bumrah, who had taken 32 wickets from five matches in that series, has been sidelined ever since, and has also missed India's victorious Champions Trophy campaign.
He was named in India's provisional squad for the ICC showpiece, but could not attain the optimum fitness level in time, as mystery spinner Varun Chakravarthy was drafted into the side.
(With PTI inputs)