Ahead Of Asia Cup 2025, Ahmed Shehzad Fires At Mohammad Rizwan: ‘Win Ya Learn Hi Ho Raha Hai Ense Bas’

In the third ODI of the series that was played at Brian Lara Stadium in Tarouba on Tuesday, August 12, West Indies beat Pakistan by 202 runs in a massive defeat. The Pakistani team scored only 92 runs in 29.2 overs under the leadership of Mohammad Rizwan chasing a huge total of 295, which is a record low.

Rizwan’s Poor Form Under Fire

The fast bowler Jayden Seales bowled through the Pakistan batting line up taking six wickets in 7.2 overs, giving away only 18 runs. His effort enabled the West Indies to win the bilateral ODI series against Pakistan after 34 years. The golden duck in the last match by Rizwan increased the criticism against his leadership and batting.

On the same game, Babar Azam was only able to score nine runs off 23 balls. The decider of the series identified that there were major loopholes in the batting of Pakistan and Rizwan lacked the capability to lead the team when the pressure was on. Ahmed Shehzad, the former star of Pakistan, was not restrained in criticizing former teammate.

Shehzad’s Viral Criticism of Rizwan

Shehzad trolled Rizwan in a video which quickly went viral. He said, “Naa batting ho rahi hai, naa unse keeping ho rahi hai. Naa unki koi fitness najar aa rahi hai. Naa unko koi as such bolna aata hai. Kabhi momentum le liya, de diya, le liya, de diya yahi chalta rehta hai. Ya to kabhi win hai ya toh learn hai chalta rehta hai. Aaj fir learn hua. Toh iss tareh he aapki cricket chal rahi hai. Isse neeche nahi dekhi kabhi humne Pakistan ki cricket. Har video mei hum yahi bolte rehte hai ki isse neeche nahi dekhi toh aap bhi baaz he nahi aate. Har roj ek naya surprise dete hai.”

Her remarks highlighted the problems that Rizwan had in the field of batting as well as in leadership. The former opener has pointed out the fact that the cricket of Pakistan seems to be unpredictable and disappointing at the present moment.

Rizwan’s Series Performance in Context

Even though, Rizwan contributed very little to the series overall with just 69 runs in three games. In the first match he scored 53 (69 balls) not out batting at number four position as Pakistan successfully chased 281 to win by five wickets against the United States of America on August 8. But he then fell off drastically in the form before finishing with the golden duck in the decider.

Shehzad made his criticism weeks before the Asia Cup 2025, which is a new issue regarding the preparation of Pakistan in the event. The level of criticism in the society is a sign of the rising frustration with the unstable performances of Rizwan and the lack of a stronger leader to direct Men in Green.

Implications for Pakistan Ahead of Asia Cup 2025

Pakistan will have to work on these obvious shortcomings as the Asia Cup is coming up. The form of Rizwan with the bat and gloves will be monitored all the time and the strategy of the team might need to be changed in order to prevent further humiliation. Both fans and professionals are paying close attention to whether or not lessons will be learned in time.

The loss in the final ODI, and the following comments by Shehzad may serve as a wake up call to Pakistan. With the Men in Green preparing to take part in the Asia Cup, individual performances and team unity will be important factors to determine how the team performs.

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