Better to play unfit, fat players: Ex-Pakistan spinner slams Babar & Co. after T20I series loss to England

Babar Azam-led Pakistan hosted England in a seven-match T20I series, which concluded on Sunday evening (October 02) in Lahore. In a series that saw the momentum swinging from one side to the other, Jos Buttler-less England emerged on top to win 4-3 after winning the final encounter by 67 runs. Being asked to bat first, Moeen Ali-led England rode on Dawid Malan's 47-ball 78 to post a daunting 209 for 3. In reply, Pakistan's run-chase never got going as they only managed 142 for 8 in their full quota of overs to lose by a convincing margin.

As Babar Azam and Md Rizwan -- the No. 1 batter in the format -- fell soon, Pakistan's chances diminished in a flash. Shan Masood's 43-ball 56 was the only shining aspect for the Men in Green, however, they never pushed England on the back foot in the second half of the encounter, at the Gadaffi Stadium, Lahore. After the clash, former Pakistan spinner Saeed Ajmal lashed out at Pakistan.

Without mincing his words, Ajmal said on his Youtube channel, "They completely outclassed us. Bilkul bachho ki team lag rahi thi Pakistan, itne bechaare lag rahe the. Itna maara hai inn logon ne. Jis tarah ke momentum se vo khelte hain, uss tarah se hamein bhi khelna chahiye. Aap logon ke andar itna khauf hai ki 'hamein select kiya jaayega ya nahi' (Pakistan playedlike kids. England dominated and hit them to all parts of the ground. We need to play with the same intensity, but most of our players do not play fearlessly in order to not lose their spot in the XI)."

“Fear se aap khelenge toh aap fail honge. Fearless cricket khelenge toh kaamyaab honge. Ek match me achha kheloge aur 10 match bure khel jaate ho, pata nahi kaisi training kar rahe ho. Iss se achha toh vo unfit, mote-mote players khila lo, Sharjeel Khan ko khila lo, Azam Khan ko khila lo (If you play with fear, you will fail. You need to play fearless cricket. These guys play well in one match and then fall flat in the next 10 games. It's better if you play unfit, fat players instead. Sharjeel Khan, Azam Khan can be given a look-in instead)," he added.

At the post-match presentation after the Lahore T20I, skipper Babar said, "It was definitely difficult. With 200 runs on the board, if we lose early wickets, it puts pressure on the other batters. This series was vital for us. We need to improve in the shortest format. I also mentioned at the toss, that we have a good bowling attack. Haris is bowling well, and he is improving everyday. I think entire Pakistan was waiting for this, even we were happy to host England."