CWC 2023: Team didn't gel well, there were no discussions - Moin Khan after Pakistan’s loss to NZ in warm-up

Former Pakistan veteran Moin Khan feels the team hasn’t gelled well yet, something that was visible during their loss to New Zealand in the World Cup warm-up tie in Hyderabad. Per the ex-keeper-batter, some of the seniors in the team were reluctant to approach captain Babar Azam to give suggestions when the bowlers' backs were against the wall during the second innings.

Moin feels that Shaheen, Rizwan, and even Shadab trying to avoid approaching the captain during a tense hour in the lead-up to the marquee event are not healthy signs for a team that aims to win the lift at the end of this tournament.

Speaking with Pakistan Cricket following the team's first warm-up tie loss to New Zealand by five wickets despite scoring 330 plus, Moin said such a scenario was there for everyone to see, claiming the players looked scattered.

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“I saw this 100%. The players looked scattered, they were hesitant to even give suggestions to Babar, whether it was Rizwan, Shadab or Shaheen. It was visible that the team wasn’t gelled up. There were no discussions, and even if there were suggestions and Babar was following them, they weren’t working,” said Moin Khan speaking to Cricket Pakistan.

Moin addresses the elephant in the room

With several reports of top players (mainly Babar and Shaheen) getting into unnecessary arguments following their side’s humiliating loss to India in the Asia Cup, there were speculations of unrest in the dressing room.

Speaking on the same lines and narrative spread via media, Moin said he understands there could be issues among players, but that shouldn’t come forward while representing their country at the top level.

Citing examples of how the body language of the players was during the Super Four tie against India, Moin said,“Another thing was, against India, players are scared. And those who really are scared that their suggestions won’t work… that’s fear. As a cricketer, you have to play on your potential and you should contribute 100%. It’s okay if your suggestions go wrong, it happens. But your body language shows whether you want to win, and that wasn’t visible."

"And I’m pretty sure there were some issues in the dressing room. And I know, in a professional environment, there are differences, but you have to end them to perform better. You have to move on,” Moin added.

Pakistan will play their next warm-up game against Australia on Tuesday, October 3, in Hyderabad.

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