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Legendary Pakistan captain Inzamam-ul-Haq ripped into the team's selection for the recent T20 World Cup, highlighting the lack of specialist middle-order batsmen as a key reason for their group stage exit.
Pakistan's campaign in the West Indies and USA ended with a whimper despite victories over Ireland, Canada, and Ireland. Losses to the USA and arch-rivals India proved costly, leaving them third in Group A with just four points.
Taking to his YouTube channel, Inzamam expressed his disappointment: "This is certainly not the way a team should be selected. From No. 1 to No. 5 all are openers! It is shameful that we cannot find middle-order batters in all of Pakistan."
Indeed, Pakistan's top order was stacked with openers and top-order specialists like Babar Azam, Mohammad Rizwan, Fakhar Zaman, Saim Ayub, and Usman Khan.
Inzamam went on to emphasize that Pakistan's struggles weren't limited to the T20 World Cup. He pointed to their disappointing Asia Cup campaign last year where they failed to reach the final, and their underwhelming record leading up to the World Cup, winning only one out of six bilateral series.
"This struggle is not limited to the T20 World Cup," Inzamam said. "They struggled in a similar manner in the Asia Cup as well... You did not see them perform as a unit."
It's worth noting that Inzamam himself served as the chief selector for the PCB twice, once in 2016 and again in 2023 before the 50-over World Cup. However, after a disappointing showing in India, the board opted for former pacer Wahab Riaz as a new selector