Pakistan’s middle-order woes continue to compound following the 2022 Asia Cup final defeat. In the recently concluded England series, the middle order gave way to a defeat as it failed to win the do-or-die match. Following their heartbreaking loss, Pakistan fans expressed their anger at underperforming Khushdil Shah and chanted ‘Parchi’ to show their angst.
Notably, ‘Parchi’ is a slang used in Pakistan for people who are given preferential positions in a job on the basis of references rather than merit. Many of Pakistan’s former cricketers have been critical of the chants but former Pakistan cricketer Aaqib Javed had a differing take on the incident. He also revealed the reception of these angry chants from the dressing room.
“This is very unfortunate. Whether it’s the board, the team management or the player, the main job is to execute the skill. When you take five wickets in a game, you don’t need others to praise you because you know you have done well,” Javed said during a conversation with reporters.
He should instead be focussing on performances- Aaqib Javed
Javed also revealed that Khushdil cried in the dressing room following ‘Parchi’ chants from the fans. He however feels that cricketers should let their performance speak for themselves on the field.
“You are appreciated for the work you do. Khushdil was crying in the dressing room, what’s the point of that? He shouldn’t be focussing on what people are saying, he should instead be focussing on performances. If you score, if you score a hundred or fifty, the people will praise you. Why are they not focussing on their performances?” said Javed.
Javed reiterated the need for the players to perform saying, “They say middle-order is not playing well. Can I say that they are performing good? This isn’t happening inside an office, this is happening in front of TV screens. This is reality and you can’t run away from it. You should focus on your system, and think about why you are not having options?”
Pakistan lost the seven-match T20I series against England by 3-4, with the middle order failing in the last match.
