‘You plan to steal the ICC trophy?’: Ex-Players Akmal, Shehzad blast Pakistan after Bangladesh ODI series loss

Pakistan’s cricketers have come under heavy scrutiny following their 2-1 ODI series defeat to Bangladesh, with former players Kamran Akmal and Ahmed Shehzad launching scathing criticism of the team’s performance and leadership. The Men in Green, led by Shaheen Afridi, suffered an 11-run loss in the series-deciding match at the Sher-e-Bangla National Cricket Stadium on Sunday.

Pakistan entered the series without senior batters Babar Azam and Fakhar Zaman, who were dealing with injuries sustained during the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup. The team management opted to field a relatively inexperienced side, giving opportunities to younger players. However, the lineup struggled under pressure and failed to capitalise on the chance, raising concerns about the team’s strategic planning and mental toughness.

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Reacting strongly to the outcome, former wicketkeeper-batter Kamran Akmal expressed serious concerns over the state of Pakistan cricket and questioned the lack of accountability within the Pakistan Cricket Board.

“For god’s sake, think about Pakistan cricket. Just see the levels we have gone down to. The Netherlands must be thinking that if they get to play a three-match ODI series against Pakistan, they can attain Test status, as they can also beat us. You have made a mockery of your cricket. You people just don’t care,” Akmal said on the ‘Game Plan’ show.

He also criticised tactical decisions in the decider, asking, “You have lost the match. What experiments are you doing? It was a good pitch. Why did you choose to bowl? Why didn’t you bat? They would have scored 350. Litton Das was slow in the end, that’s why Bangladesh got restricted to 290. It was a series decider. When you do not win the series against teams, how will you progress? You plan to steal the ICC trophy?”

Former batter Ahmed Shehzad echoed Akmal’s concerns, highlighting Pakistan’s ongoing struggles and warning that the team’s standards are declining at an alarming rate.

“After the pathetic T20 World Cup campaign, you did not make any changes. You brought youngsters out of nowhere. Now you have lost the series and you are giving excuses of having youngsters in the playing XI. When you don’t accept your mistakes, you will never move ahead in life,” Shehzad said on his YouTube channel.

Shehzad also questioned Afridi’s decision to bowl first after winning the toss in the deciding match, saying, “It was a good pitch. You should have batted and put runs on the board, then bowled under lights. When your senior players behave like this, what do you expect from the youngsters?”

Bangladesh’s victory was built on a composed century from Tanzid Hasan, who struck 107 off 107 deliveries to help the hosts post 290/5. Pakistan’s reply saw a determined 106 from Salman Ali Agha, but the visitors fell short at 279 all out. Taskin Ahmed was instrumental with the ball, claiming four wickets to seal the win for Bangladesh.

The ODI series defeat follows Pakistan’s disappointing T20 World Cup campaign, where they were eliminated in the Super 8 stage, marking the fourth consecutive ICC tournament in which the team failed to reach the semi-finals. Shehzad warned that Pakistan’s international stature is rapidly declining, stating, “You are becoming an associate team. People are now treating Pakistan like Zimbabwe. And then you say we crashed out of the World Cup due to run rate. Have some shame.”

Both Akmal and Shehzad’s remarks underline growing frustration over Pakistan cricket’s management, tactical approach, and inability to address long-term structural issues despite repeated failures on the global stage.