Wasim Akram criticises IPL after India’s defeat in semi final
The legendary Pakistani player, Wasim Akram claimed that India’s bowling issues are due to the IPL. The greatest franchise league in the world, the Indian Premier League (IPL), began in 2008. According to legendary Pakistani fast bowler Wasim Akram, this failure on the part of India to win the Twenty T20 World Cup has intrigued him.
Wasim also said that the IPL is to blame for India’s bowling issues following India’s embarrassing 10-wicket loss to England in the semi final on Thursday.
On Thursday in Adelaide, the destructive English opening duo of Jos Buttler and Alex Hales left the Indian bowlers defenceless. The Indian bowling attack was completely destroyed by Buttler (80 not out off 49 balls) and Hales (86 not out off 47 balls) as England chased down 168 in only 16 overs for an impressive 10-wicket victory to go to the final against Pakistan.
The Indian assault struggled because it lacked express pace on a ground that offered no support for swing bowlers.
Wasim believed that if India’s bowlers had more pace to disturb the hitters, they would have given England a run for their money.
“It’s not like India lacks fast bowlers with quick bowling speeds. Their young pace bowlers, namely Avesh Khan and Umran Malik, are quite promising. These bowlers have a steady top speed of 145 kph. However, the majority of their young fast bowlers lose their pace after competing in the IPL for one season,” During a panel discussion on ASports, Wasim said.
“Avesh’s IPL pace dropped to 135 after one season. Therefore, the BCCI should investigate why this keeps happening in Indian cricket.” Wasim claims that young players in Indian cricket lose the desire to improve after signing lucrative IPL contracts.
“I believe Avesh received 12 crores ($120 million) for his IPL performance. I’m a big fan of cash. However, a young person may lose focus and the desire to work hard when they are young and paid a lot of money,” explained Wasim.
“Therefore, I believe there should be a limit on how many young players may be signed to IPL contracts. These kids won’t understand the value of working hard or demonstrating a desire to advance until then.”
Wasim criticised the BCCI’s stance of forbidding Indian players from competing in foreign franchise leagues like the Big Bash in Australia and the Caribbean Premier League following India’s most recent defeat in an ICC event.
“India has not claimed the T20 World Cup since the IPL began in 2008 in India. One year before the IPL began, in 2007, they won their lone T20 World Cup championship,” he stated.
“The BCCI should give this some thought as they forbid their players from competing in foreign leagues. They may be denied the opportunity to gain knowledge by participating in T20 cricket matches in various locations and weather circumstances as a result.”
When England’s magnificent performance caused every Indian fan to tremble, Pakistani players were likely glued to the televisions in their hotel rooms. England, led by Jos Buttler, systematically destroyed India, either by brutally destroying the Indian bowling attack or by suppressing the Indian hitters with disciplined bowling. It’s tough to imagine Babar Azam’s thoughts when Alex Hales and Buttler made a challenging chase seem simple.
The Pakistani captain, though, has a great temperament. He is also fortunate to have a squad of talented fast bowlers at his disposal, just like many previous Pakistani captains before him. The English batters won’t likely have the same freedom to swing their bats against the powerful Pakistani attack at the Melbourne Cricket Ground on Sunday as they had when Hales and Buttler destroyed the Indian bowling like gladiators.
On a juicy field where they will receive good value for their swing and pace, players like Shaheen Shah Afridi, Naseem Shah, Haris Rauf, and Mohammad Wasim are unlikely to make mistakes. The 22-year-old left-arm pacer Shaheen is starting to display his best form after a stuttering start to his T20 World Cup campaign Down Under, which has Pakistan’s fans giddy with anticipation. Shaheen is currently on fire, having taken nine wickets in his last three games. It’s quite amazing how someone so young could command a bowling attack with such proficiency and poise. Shaheen will be accountable. He can help Pakistan take on the aggressive English batsmen head-on with his blistering pace and swinging yorkers.
Wasim Akram criticises IPL after India’s defeat in semi final
The Pakistan pace attack has the ability to distinguish between the victor and the defeated in a matchup between the two evenly matched teams. A nation of 220 million people will now hold its collective breath as Shaheen runs in on Sunday. It has been 30 years since Pakistan’s most illustrious cricket victory was achieved thanks to Wasim Akram’s miraculous performance in the 1992 World Cup final against England at the MCG. Shaheen grew up idolising Wasim, just like countless other left-arm pacers from Pakistan. However, only he now has a chance to duplicate what Wasim famously accomplished against the same adversary on the same field thirty years ago.
