"You can't drop so many catches" - Shoaib Akhtar on Men in Green's lethargic fielding in AUS vs PAK 2023 World Cup match
Shoaib Akhtar has expressed his displeasure over Pakistan's sloppy fielding in the team's 2023 World Cup match against Australia at the M.Chinnaswamy Stadium in Bengaluru on Friday, October 20.
Pakistan won the toss and elected to field first. However, they were off to a miserable start as Australian openers David Warner and Mitchell Marsh formed a stunning 259-run opening stand.
The Men in Green could have gotten an early breakthrough in the fifth over after Warner top-edged a short-pitched ball by Shaheen Afridi. However, Usama Mir put down a simple catch at mid-on, giving the southpaw a big reprieve.
To make matters worse, Warner got another life after being dropped by Abdullah Shafique at deep mid-wicket off Usama Mir's bowling in the 33rd over.
Akhtar was unimpressed by the efforts of the Pakistani fielders. He suggested that the fielders should grab such chances, especially when the bowlers have struggled to get going. The former speedster wrote on X:
"As it is, you're not able to create opportunities. Atleast grab the ones which batters are giving. Come on guys, you cant drop so many catches!!!!!!"
It is worth mentioning that Pakistan captain Babar Azam also dropped Steve Smith's catch in the slips off Usama Mir's bowling in the 35th over. However, the drop didn't prove very costly, as the batter departed after scoring just seven runs.
Warner, who got two chances, ended up scoring 163 runs off 124 balls. The southpaw put his team in a good position by delivering a big knock.
Pakistan are placed fourth in 2023 World Cup points table
Pakistan kicked off their 2023 World Cup campaign with a comprehensive 81-run win over the Netherlands in their opening encounter, defending a target of 287 runs. They followed it up with a comfortable six-wicket win over Sri Lanka, scripting the highest-ever run chase in World Cup history by chasing down a 345-run target.
However, the Men in Green suffered a big setback after failing to put up a fight in their subsequent clash against arch-rivals India. They were bowled out for just 191 runs and went on to lose the game by seven wickets.
With one win from three games, they are currently fourth in the 2023 World Cup points table with a net run rate of -0.137.