MANCHESTER: Former Pakistan captain and legendary pacer Wasim Akram questioned the grand reception of rising pacer Razaullah upon his return to the country following the national team’s 3-0 thrashing at the hands of England in the recently concluded away Test series.
Razaullah, who was amongst the seven players Pakistan drafted into their squad for the third Test against England following their back-to-back gruelling defeats in the first two fixtures at Headingley and Lord’s respectively, could only manage a run-a-ball 11 in his first-ever innings.
Later, in his first Test outing with the ball, the right-arm pacer took four wickets, including the prized scalp of England captain Joe Root, for 148 runs in his 23 overs.
The 21-year-old eventually made his debut memorable in Pakistan’s second innings of the third Test as he smashed nine sixes, coupled with four fours, on his way to an entertaining 81-run knock, which came off just 63 deliveries.
Although his blistering knock helped Pakistan set England a respectable target of 130 runs, the home side comfortably chased it down, losing only two wickets to complete the whitewash, which was their first over the Green Shirts at home in the longest format.
Last week, upon his return to the country, Razaullah received a rousing welcome upon his arrival at the Islamabad International Airport, with a large number of enthusiastic supporters gathering there, showering him with rose petals and presenting him with traditional floral garlands.
Fans also lifted Razaullah onto their shoulders as they chanted “Pakistan Zindabad” and “Razaullah Mashwani Zindabad”, while several supporters captured the memorable scenes on their mobile phones.
Razaullah’s grand reception did not sit well with Pakistan’s bowling great Akram, who insisted that the 21-year-old should have hidden his face and instead have celebrated at home.
Akram further emphasised that the fans’ reaction depicted their mindset before asserting that the nation has accepted “mediocrity”.
“Hide your face at least. Go and celebrate at your home. Let me get this straight, you may bring the best coach in the world, the best chairman in the world, but the players are from here, they are the same. There are no new players,” Akram said during a charity event in Manchester.
“Let’s talk about mindset, very talented. So, we got hammered by England, not lost, hammered. So he arrives in Islamabad with 5,000 people to welcome him. His whole village came to receive him with bouquets and garlands. This tells you the mindset. We have accepted mediocrity,” he added.
