Shoaib Akhtar labeled Pakistan's loss in the Asia Cup 2023 virtual semi-final as 'embarrassing' and urged Babar Azam's men to step up their game in preparation for the ODI World Cup scheduled to commence next month.
Pakistan's hopes of securing a coveted spot in the Asia Cup final were dashed by Sri Lanka's victory, denying the potential for a much-anticipated Indo-Pak final showdown.
Despite his disappointment, Shoaib commended Pakistan pacer Zaman Khan, who joined the team due to injuries to Haris Rauf and Naseem Shah, for his commendable performance in the match.
'You've seen the match. Pakistan are out of the tournament. The match that was made in favour of Pakistan, was all done by Zaman Khan. He landed the day before yesterday and this boy did excellent bowling in the Pakistan Super League,' Shoaib says on his YouTube channel.
'Whatever chances Pakistan had of winning the match were all because of him. Shaheen Afridi also got a few wickets, but credit goes to Zaman. He bowled really well,' Shoaib adds.
'Pakistan deserved to win, go to the Asia Cup final, but they are out of the tournament. They can be criticised a lot as they were touted as the 'favorites', but are out of the tournament now.'
'Unfortunately, there can't be a Pakistan versus India match in the final, it has never happened. This was the chance, but Sri Lanka deserved to be the finalists. They were the far better team.'
'This is a very embarrassing loss. The fact that Pakistan are out of the tournament doesn't look nice. Pakistan have a lot to think about. The captaincy needs to sharpen up a bit. I am very disappointed.'
