The Pakistan cricket team is at its worst and needs drastic overhaul, all-rounder Imad Wasim said after the team failed to make it out of the group stage of the T20 World Cup.
The 2009 champions, who lost in the final two years ago, have lost to the United States and India and their only win was against Canada.
Pakistan’s final match is against Ireland on Sunday but the game is inconclusive as both teams have already been eliminated.
Asked about the loss after the USA, along with India, beat Pakistan to qualify for the Super Eight, Wasim said there was no doubt about the level of disappointment.
“This is the bottom line. It can’t go any lower. That’s a fact,” he told a news conference.
Asked if a big change is needed now, the 35-year-old left-arm spinner said it was clear that a radical change was needed.
“This is not my specialty, but I think that to move forward we need change, and we need dramatic change,” he said.
Wasim, who came out of brief retirement for this tournament, said the changes needed to be far-reaching.
“Everything, every aspect. How to approach the game? How to play the game? That’s what I believed and that’s why I came back and worked hard and it didn’t happen,” he added.
After suffering a shocking defeat to the US, Pakistan also suffered a narrow defeat to India in New York but Wasim said the context needed to be understood.
“The wicket is a little bit tougher than you think and you could say any team can win. Nepal were close to winning so a lot can happen but I think we can change our approach, how we play the game and all the players are keen to change that because this loss was a real blow for us,” he said.
The key change that is needed is in the mentality of the game, Wasim added.
“I am just stating my personal opinion. Stop making headlines like this. It’s all about your mindset. What mindset do you want to go into the game with? Either fight fire with fire or play your way.”
“So I personally believe you should fight fire with fire and even if you lose, you can just sit back and tell yourself we weren’t good enough that day,” he said.
“The thing is, our team is so good and our players are so good that we are good enough to play any kind of cricket, so we have to get rid of that fear of failure mentality.”
“We have to get rid of the fear of failure mentality in all aspects – batting, bowling and fielding. As I said earlier, changing personnel won’t change anything but a change in mindset can change a lot,” he added.
“We are competing with the best teams in the world. Their mindset has changed over time. We were dominant in T20 cricket earlier, but I think we have regressed a bit now. If we change the mindset of our players, we can achieve beyond our limits. I have always believed in this.”
Wasim said he would not make any decision about his future until after Sunday’s match.
“Regarding retirement, we have a match tomorrow. I will play the match and then I will think about retirement and sort out what is necessary. To be honest, a lot of things will be sorted in the Pakistan team. The chairman and the board will sort it out.”
“We have lost two games through our own efforts. Losing to USA, well, losing is part of the game but we should not have lost to USA. Against India we were in control of the game and we should not have lost. So there is no excuse. We are collectively losing games,” he said.
“After the Ireland game we will sit down, discuss it and make a decision. I don’t do anything in secret. I told everyone when I retired last time. If something happens I will tell everyone.”
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