Former Pakistan batter Ahmed Shehzad tore into Mohammad Rizwan for his flop show in the three-match ODI series against Bangladesh, where the Shaheen Shah Afridi-led side went down 1-2. The Green Shirts lost the series decider by 11 runs in Dhaka on Sunday, and as a result, Bangladesh registered just their second ODI series win over Pakistan. The latest result marks a new low for Pakistan after their T20 World Cup debacle, when the side failed to reach the semi-finals, crashing out in the Super 8s stage. Rizwan, who was dropped for the World Cup, made it into the ODI squad; however, he failed to live up to his billing as a senior player.
Throughout the entire series, Rizwan’s game was woefully exposed as he struggled against the raw pace of Nahid Rana. In the three matches, he scored 58 runs, with his highest score being 44, which came in the second ODI.
Speaking on his YouTube channel, Shehzad said that glaring gaps in Rizwan’s technique have been there for a long timeand that the former ODI captain has failed to address them, despite having a lengthy break before the contest against Bangladesh.
“The balls are just coming in your range, Rizwan sahab. So much time has passed. We have been saying this for quite some time now. The technique is not there. You have your game based on the leg side. Learn he learn start ho gaya. Learn he learn start ho gaya. (You have just been learning for so many years now),” Shehzad said on his YouTube channel.
“You just keep on talking. You are getting money for playing on the ground, we are here to keep on talking. The people who are selecting you are just not learning. Perform on the ground, don’t talk. There is a huge gap between the bat and the ball. Why aren’t you coming in line? The ball won’t come into your range. Play with a big heart. Ask yourself, are you coming in line with the ball?,” he added.
‘What was your job?’
Shehzad also said that Rizwan is dancing in the middle as his feet are going nowhere, and he is continuously failing to get in line with the ball, which is creating a big gap between the bat and ball,leading to more bowled dismissals.
“What improvement have you made? You weren’t even there in the T20 World Cup squad; you got so much rest. What did you do? Your job was to score centuries against Bangladesh and take the team over the line. You could have shown the selector what mistake they made by keeping you out,” said Shehzad.
“You are dancing in the middle, your feet are not going anywhere. You just focus on talking. You will keep learning if this keeps going on,” he added.
The series between Pakistan and Bangladesh saw the latter winning the first and last ODIs. Shaheen’s side did stage a comeback in the second ODI after losing the opener; however, the decider once again saw Pakistan buckling under pressure.
