Former players react to Pakistan humiliation

Former players from either side of the Pakistan-India border have reacted with shock, frustration and concern over the Pakistanis' inept performance in Sunday's ICC Champions Trophy marquee clash.

Imran Khan, Pakistan's 1992 World Cup winning captain and arguably the country's greatest-ever player, has asked for major reforms in the cricket infrastructure and shared his disappointment on social media over yet another defeat against India at ICC tournaments.

Pakistan have now lost 13 out of 15 matches against India at ICC tournaments (World Cup, Champions Trophy and World T20) but Sunday's 124-run drubbing was their worst losing margin in those matches.

Former Pakistan captain turned commentator Ramiz Raja also vented his frustrations on Twitter and has demanded a "course correction" for the team.

Another former Pakistan captain Aamir Sohail has lashed out at the coaches for not making the correct strategy and criticised selectors for wasting players by picking them in the wrong format.

"We don't know about players' potentials. We waste them by playing in the formats they are not suited for. We don't have people who can develop players," Sohail told a Pakistani television network.

"A selector's job is not to just select players but also tell them that what the team wants from them.

"We mentioned before the match that Pakistan should have some left-handers, Fakhar Zaman and Haris Sohail, in the batting line up.

"Virat Kohli after the match said the same thing – that they knew Pakistan would be having right-handers in the team."

Quick Single: The alarming manner of Pakistan's ODI defeats

Sohail's former teammate Javed Miandad also pointed out the country's inadequate cricket structure.

"Our infrastructure is very bad," Miandad said.

"The academy at National Stadium Karachi is inactive from last four or five years.

"The situation is so bad that you can't even sit in the stadium."

Pakistan have lost seven consecutive matches against India in ICC tournaments, with their last win coming eight years ago in the ICC Champions Trophy match in Centurion in 2009.

Younis Khan, who led Pakistan to victory in that match, showed disappointment at the loss and said paceman Junaid Khan should have been included.

"Pakistan did not show any fight which is very disappointing," he told ARY News.

"It was a big match. We were expecting them to fight at least.

"Junaid Khan could have been a better choice. He had shown good form recently, too. He was a better choice in these conditions.

"Wahab Riaz is a good bowler too as he showed us in World Cup 2011 and 2015 but he should not mind the criticism.

"When you perform badly you have to face the criticism. He could not justify his selection."

Quick Single: India run riot to thrash Pakistan

Junaid's non-selection has been widely criticised by experts and fans alike, with many pointing to the fact that he has dismissed Kohli three times in three matches as justification alone for his inclusion.

"Somebody please make me understand that why Junaid Khan is out of the team. Justice is not being done with him," former speedster Shoaib Akhtar told Geo News.

"Our batsmen are still playing old-fashioned cricket; in modern-day cricket it is pretty normal to score 300 runs."

India's experts former cricketers also passed comment on the Pakistan performance, expressing disappointment that the traditional competitiveness of a rivalry as fierce as the Ashes had waned in recent years. 

Champions Trophy 2017 Guide

Squads: Every Champions Trophy nation

Schedule

1 June – England beat Bangladesh by eight wickets

2 June – New Zealand v Australia, No Result

3 June – Sri Lanka lost to South Africa by 96 runs

4 June – India v Pakistan, Edgbaston (D)

5 June – Australia v Bangladesh, The Oval (D/N)

6 June – England v New Zealand, Cardiff (D)

7 June – Pakistan v South Africa, Edgbaston (D/N)

8 June – India v Sri Lanka, The Oval (D)

9 June – New Zealand v Bangladesh, Cardiff (D)

10 June – England v Australia, Edgbaston (D)

11 June – India v South Africa, The Oval (D)

12 June – Sri Lanka v Pakistan, Cardiff (D)

14 June – First semi-final (A1 v B2), Cardiff (D)

15 June – Second semi-final (A2 v B1), Edgbaston (D)

18 June – Final, The Oval (D)

19 June – Reserve day (D)