Shoaib Akhtar slammed Pakistan’s batting after their first ODI series loss to West Indies in 34 years, accusing players of chasing personal averages over team wins and urging a shift to an aggressive, modern approach to stay competitive.
Former Pakistan pace bowling legend Shoaib Akhtar did not mince his words over the Mohammad Rizwan-led side’s humiliating defeat in the third and final ODI of the recently concluded series against West Indies at Brian Lara Stadium in Trinidad on Wednesday, August 13.
Pakistan suffered a 202-run defeat in the third ODI, resulting in their first-ever series loss at the hands of the West Indies in 34 years. Chasing a 295-run target, the Men in Green’s batting line-up collapsed as they were bundled out for 92 in 29.2 overs. Jayden Seales rattled the visitors’ batting as he picked six wickets, including the initial four wickets of the top order, leaving Pakistan reeling at 23/4 and paving the way for a crushing West Indies victory.
Jayden Seales registered figures of 6/18 at an economy rate of 2.50 in 7.2 overs to help West Indies pull off a historic ODI series triumph over Pakistan in three decades.
‘Everyone is playing for their averages’
Speaking about Pakistan’s humiliating ODI series defeat to the West Indies, Shoaib Akhtar recalled when the team would not rely on a single individual, in contrast to the current situation, where he believes that everyone plays for batting averages.
“We used to have expressive and explosive talent, and we played like that. We were never dependent on one individual, everyone chipped in. No one used to look for escape routes,” Akhtar said on the Pakistani show ‘Game On Hai’
“The environment has changed, and in the last 10–15 years, everyone has started playing for themselves. Everyone is playing for their averages. The intent should be to win matches for your country,” he added
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Throughout the ODI series against West Indies, the likes of Babar Azam, Mohammad Rizwan, Salman Agha, Saim Ayub, and Mohammad Nawaz failed to deliver consistent match-winning performances, resulting in Pakistan’s inability to chase down or post competitive totals and nd ultimately costing them the series.
Akhtar demands a change in mindset and approach in Pakistan’s batting
Shoaib Akhtar believes that a change in mindset and approach in Pakistan’s batting as per the demands of modern-day cricket is a necessary step towards reviving their competitiveness on the international stage.
“We need to change the intent, the mindset, and create that atmosphere. You need to play according to modern cricket. How hard is that to understand?” a former Pakistan pacer said.
Pakistan have often been criticized for playing an outdated version of cricket, which reflected in their performance, especially their inability to chase down a 120-run target set by the target in last year’s T20 World Cup. In the Champions Trophy 2025. Pakistan failed to win a single match despite being the hosts of the tournament.
Pakistan’s overseas vulnerability still creeps in
Pakistan might have won the ODI series against the West Indies, but their vulnerability to perform overseas still gets exposed, which can be evidenced by their T20I series defeat in Bangladesh and white ball series defeat to New Zealand.
Akhtar stated that Pakistan batters were unable to judge the moving ball, adding that they cannot expect to have a pitch like that at Rawalpindi for overseas tours.
“The ball moves a bit, and they are in trouble. You can’t carry Pindi pitches everywhere,” Shoaib Akhtar said.
Pakistan’s batting collapse came just a month before the Asia Cup 2025, which will take place on September 9. Though the continental format is in the T20 format and Pakistan won the T20I series against the West Indies, the defeat has raised serious concerns over their form, confidence, and ability to handle pressure in high-stakes tournaments.