Karachi: Former Pakistani fast bowler Shoaib Akhtar has expressed his disapproval with ICC T20I Team of the Decade after Pakistan skipper Babar Azam was not included in the ICC’s T20I team of the decade.
The announcement of Teams of the Decade by the International Cricket Council (ICC) for Men and Women in all formats was made on Sunday (December 27). Pakistani players were not included in ICC Teams of the Decade across all formats for men and women cricketers.
Akhtar was annoyed with ICC’s decision and quoted in his youtube channel, “I think ICC forgot that Pakistan is also a member of ICC and they also play T20I cricket. They did not pick Babar Azam, who is currently the number one batsman in the ICC T20I rankings. They did not pick a single player from Pakistan in the team. We don’t need your (ICC) T20I Team of the Decade because you announced the IPL team, not a world cricket team.”
“ICC only thinks about money, sponsorships and TV rights. They introduced two new balls and three powerplays (in the ODI cricket). Where is Dennis Lillee, Jeff Thomson, big five of West Indies, Wasim (Akram) and Waqar (Younis)? Where are the world’s fastest bowlers and leg-spinners? They went away because ICC commercialized and materialized cricket so much and allowed ten leagues to earn more revenue,” Akhtar added.
“They just want two World Cups in three years and leagues….. There is a big difference between today’s cricket and in 70’s cricket. If there is no Sachin vs Shoaib then what’s the point of watching cricket? There is no big player than Babar Azam in T20I. He is a top-scorer for Pakistan and his averages show what he has done for the country, even in comparison with Virat Kohli. It is so embarrassing and I’m sure after this video they will think that they have to announce the World Team of the Decade, not the IPL team,” Shoaib concluded.
