"I try to cut out social media" - Shadab Khan on dealing with backlash amid Pakistan's poor World Cup campaign 

Pakistan all-rounder Shadab Khan stated that he is trying to stay away from social media following the criticism that the Men in Green are receiving due to their poor set of performances at the 2023 ODI World Cup.

Pakistan have now lost three consecutive matches to India, Australia, and Afghanistan in the league stages. They are placed sixth in the points table but have a tricky set of fixtures lined up - starting with the in-form South Africa at the MA Chidambaram Stadium in Chennai on Friday.

Pakistani fans as well as former cricketers have been far from pleased with the team's displays in the tournament. Among the several concerns like Babar Azam's captaincy, includes Shadab's form as well. The all-rounder has only picked two wickets and has scored 75 runs across four matches. He was dropped for Usama Mir for the game against Australia.

Asserting that the primary focus is to win matches for the team, Shadab said during the pre-match press conference:

"I try to cut out social media. When you perform everyone will say: 'he's doing so well', but when you don't the same person will say: 'oh, he's not good enough'. Because the mentality is that when someone is not in the team, they are the best. When someone is in the team, they are the worst."

"As a team, we have one thing - unity. Hopefully, we will bounce back again but everyone has their opinion. They can talk about us because we're not performing, so we must accept it. And this is a reality because when you don't win everyone has their opinion. So, our main focus is just trying to win games for Pakistan, that's it," he added.

Pakistan's first clash at the MA Chidambaram Stadium in Chennai resulted in an eight-wicket loss to Afghanistan, which was the first against their neighbors in eight attempts.

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"I'm not performing well in such a big tournament" - Shadab Khan

The all-rounder also addressed his own form in the 2023 ODI World Cup. He came back into the playing XI, replacing Mohammad Nawaz for the clash against Afghanistan. However, he went wicketless in his eight overs, while conceding 49 runs in the process.

Admitting that he has not been at his best in the tournament so far, Shadab Khan said:

"I'm not performing well in such a big tournament, but it's not like I'm always the same. There are always ups and downs in cricket. I am not doing well, but the rest of the bowlers are bowling really well in patches and are in good rhythm."

Can Pakistan spark a comeback with a statement win over South Africa? Let us know what you think.