“Looks like these guys are eating 8 kilos of biryani and nihari every day”: Wasim Akram criticizes Pakistan’s fielding after loss agianst Afghanistan.

In a recent 2023 World Cup match, Pakistan faced a devastating loss to Afghanistan by eight wickets in Chennai on Monday, October 23. The defeat prompted cricket legend Wasim Akram to raise concerns about the team’s fielding performance and fitness standards. The 57-year-old former cricketer questioned whether the players are maintaining the necessary fitness levels, humorously suggesting, “Are they eating eight kilos of biryani every day?”

One of the glaring issues that stood out during the match was Pakistan’s fielding, which was far from ideal. The fielders failed to provide adequate support to the bowlers, who, in the end, couldn’t defend the total of 282 runs. The Afghanistan batters, on the other hand, exhibited a clinical performance, with the top three batsmen all scoring half-centuries.

Wasim Akram, a well-respected figure in the cricketing world, expressed his concerns during a talk on A-Sports said “It was embarrassing today. To reach 280-odd losing just two wickets is pretty big. Wet pitch or no, look at the fielding, the fitness levels. We’ve been screaming for the last three weeks that these players haven’t undergone a fitness test in the last two years.

“If I start taking individual names, their faces will drop. Looks like these guys are eating 8 kilos of biryani and nihari every day. Should there not be tests.”

Akram said “Professionally, you guys are getting paid, playing for your country. There has to be a certain criteria. Misbah, when he was coach, had that criteria. Players hated him, but it worked.”

“Fielding is all about fitness and that’s where we are lacking. Now we have reached that same position, where we will pray for ifs and buts to happen.”