Wasim Akram Criticises Pakistan After India Win; Misbah and Malik Praise Indian Openers: ‘I’m Speaking My Heart’

Cricket legend Wasim Akram openly criticized the Pakistan cricket team, while his former teammates Misbah-ul-Haq and Shoaib Malik could not stop praising Abhishek Sharma and Shubman Gill. Pakistan suffered another heavy defeat against India in the Asia Cup 2025 on Sunday.

After the handshake controversy in the group game, Pakistan was expected to put up a stronger fight. However, their resistance lasted only a short time before Suryakumar Yadav and his team secured their seventh straight win against their arch-rivals since 2022.

Asked to bat first in the Super 4 match, Pakistan scored only 171 runs, even with four catches dropped by India. The Dubai pitch was not as difficult as usual. Their top-scorer was Sahibzada Farhan, who made 58 runs and celebrated with a firing gun gesture, likely referring to the Pahalgam terror attack.

The target was too small for India, who won with seven balls to spare. Abhishek Sharma and Shubman Gill added 105 runs for the first wicket. Abhishek was the highest scorer with a blistering 74 off 39 balls, helping India win by six wickets.

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Wasim Akram Criticizes Pakistan

Disheartened by another heavy defeat, bowling great Wasim Akram could not hold back. He said it was “tough” to watch Pakistan being beaten by their rivals.

“I am going to speak my heart out. It is tough to watch Pakistan,” Akram said on Sony Sports. “As an ex-player, I understand winning and losing. But India has outplayed Pakistan in every department over the last four or five years. One or two catches can be dropped in any game, that is fine. But when we score 91 in the first 10 overs and fail to reach 200, there is nothing to say.”

Misbah and Malik Praise Abhishek and Gill

Former Pakistan captain Misbah-ul-Haq praised Abhishek for his skill and calmness.

“The skill level is exceptional, and the temperament is impressive. Playing against Pakistan for the first time, he looks relaxed, like batting in the nets. When the ball lands in his zone, he hits it effortlessly. He puts the main bowlers under pressure, and after that, the team can’t recover,” Misbah said on Tapmad’s show.

Former Pakistan all-rounder Shoaib Malik praised Shubman Gill, who scored 47 off 28 balls. “I thought Shubman Gill would stay not out. Everything about him is high quality. He doesn’t play on just one side; he can play all around the field. When conditions changed after six overs, he started rotating the strike,” Malik said.