Javed Miandad slams Pakistan for getting 'outclassed and humiliated' by England

After conceding the highest ODI total of all-time at Trent Bridge, Pakistan team and their skipper Azhar Ali have placed themselves on the line of fire with several former players lashing out at the string of poor performances.

Iconic batsman Javed Miandad claimed, “It is time for the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) to admit they made a mistake in appointing Azhar as the ODI captain and appoint someone else for the series against the West Indies next month. It made no sense to appoint Azhar last year even though he was not in the ODI team since 2013.”

England rode on the back of a record-breaking knock from Alex Hales to cruise to a mammoth 444/3 on a batting beauty. Faced with scoreboard pressure, Pakistan were bowled out for 275 and lost by a hefty margin even as the hosts took an unassailable 3-0 lead in the 5-match series.

Questioning the tactics and lack of confidence shown by the visitors, Miandad believed, “One-day cricket has changed a lot since we played and today I think England gave us an abject lesson in how to play 50 overs. We were outclassed and humiliated.”

The 59-year old was joined by his erstwhile team-mate and ‘Sultan of Swing’ Wasim Akram who called for wicket-keeper batsman Sarfraz Ahmed to take over the reins from Azhar Ali if Pakistan were to climb up from their 9^th spot in the ICC rankings.

Speaking on Geo News, Akram asserted “I think it is the right time to give responsibility to Sarfraz and make him ODI captain. He is a performer under pressure and he can bring about a change.

Meanwhile cricketer-turned-commentator Ramiz Raja opined that Azhar Ali might feel the pressure of the 50-overs format which in turn could affect his form and concentration at the Test level.

However, former opening batsman Mohsin Khan directed the focus on the newly appointed head coach Mickey Arthur and wanted to know what the South African’s plans were if they would hope for a turnaround.

Mohsin argued, “Where are we going in this format. It is going to be a tough test for him. While we have a settled Test side and are number one, it is exactly the opposite in ODI cricket. It is going to be a big challenge now for coach Mickey Arthur to replicate his success of the Test matches into limited over cricket.”

Although the final two ODIs might not have any bearing on the series result, Pakistan would want to bounce back from their horror show and gain vital rating points.