Shopping
Azhar Mahmood Defends Pakistan Players Shopping, Having Street Food In USA During T20 World Cup
![Azhar Mahmood Defends Pakistan Players Shopping, Having Street Food In USA During T20 World Cup Azhar Mahmood Defends Pakistan Players Shopping, Having Street Food In USA During T20 World Cup](https://static.tnn.in/thumb/msid-110903687,thumbsize-56990,width-1280,height-720,resizemode-75/110903687.jpg)
Azhar Mahmood believes finding a healthy balance between professional commitment and personal space is crucial. Pakistan, meanwhile, is looking to bounce back from its defeats and somehow survive in the T20 World Cup 2024. Their next assignment is the crucial match against Canada which is a must-win encounter for the Men in Green.
Azhar Mahmood defended Pakistan players shopping in the USA amidst ICC Mens T20 World Cup.
KEY HIGHLIGHTS
Azhar Mahmood admitted that the morale of the team is low.
Pakistan face Canada in their next crucial match.
Pakistan’s assistant coach, Azhar Mahmood, has defended the national team’s players following criticism surrounding their activities during the ongoing T20 World Cup in the USA. Social media buzzed with comments about players like Azam Khan being spotted enjoying street food while others were seen shopping.
Ahead of Pakistan’s must-win game against Canada, Mahmood addressed the media and spoke about the team’s morale but was visibly irked by a question from a reporter who asked, “The way we saw the journey from Dallas to New York, we see that players are given a diet plan, but then the same players are given different rules and regulations. We went to different places. Because the team is losing and losing badly, we saw the players going to different places at 1:00 or 1:30 AM at night. We kept watching how and what they were doing.”
The reporter’s question follows a video circulating online showing middle-order batter Azam Khan grabbing fast food from a food truck at midnight in New York. Mahmood indirectly confirmed his presence, not denying that he was there, but was miffed by the query.
“Did you see the match day? Brother, cricket is played on the ground. There is life beyond cricket. You were there. I’m telling you, you were there. I saw you there too. The thing is, we are a very emotional nation,” replied Mahmood.
“I mean, it’s not possible that if you lose a match, your life will be over. Yes. How will you do it? If you lose a match and then you come to the room and bang the walls of the room, then you need a little time to relax your mind,” he added.
“Now, obviously, our players are not like that. I’ve been with English teams, too. If they go to a place like that, you can only go to eat, that’s our entertainment. Now tell me, who’s not following a diet plan? All the teams in the world do it. There’s no such thing. When we lose, we feel that we are not following this; we are not following that. If we had won, you wouldn’t be asking me this question,” he explained.
Mahmood also admitted that the morale of the Men in Green is pretty low, but they need to get back up and fight.
“After two defeats, everyone is quite disheartened. Losing against India is more disappointing than a defeat against the US,” he said before adding, “At the moment, everyone’s morale in the team is down; it’s necessary to lift it as we can still bounce back and we won’t lose hope until it’s over.”