• Cricket legends Wasim Akram and Adam Gilchrist criticize Nasser Hussain.
• Akram points out the insufficient ODIs played by key English players.
• Rejecting Hussain’s excuse, Akram and Gilchrist stress the need.

Former Pakistani cricket captain and legendary pacer Wasim Akram slammed England’s Nasser Hussain for defending his team’s lackluster performance in the ICC World Cup 2023. Akram, joined by Australia’s legendary wicketkeeper-batsman Adam Gilchrist, dismissed Hussain’s explanation, particularly targeting the excuse related to the Ashes series.

“Come off it, please. What is he [Nasser Hussain] on about?” remarked Gilchrist on the podcast.

Akram, who captained Pakistan in the 1996 and 1999 World Cups, questioned the selection choices made by England, emphasizing the insufficient One-day International (ODI) cricket played by their top players in the year leading up to the World Cup.

“The most number of ODIs played by a player in the last year was Jason Roy, he played 30 plus ODIs and they didn’t pick him. And players who hardly played any ODIs, including their skipper and main batters, were in the squad. The Ashes court and all were nice excuses, boys,” Akram stated.

Hussain had previously attributed England’s disappointing World Cup performance to the timing of the tournament immediately following the Ashes series. He argued that the players, including Chris Woakes and Mark Wood, were mentally and physically exhausted after the high-pressure Ashes encounters.

“It’s hard for England because of the timing of World Cups on the back of an Ashes series,” Hussain stated. “There’s so much focus on the Ashes that come the end of it, you are mentally exhausted.”

Akram and Gilchrist countered this argument, urging a more balanced approach to planning across formats and emphasizing the need to give equal attention to all formats throughout the year.

“It’s about planning across formats. We need to give each format equal care and attention all the way through. It’s hard for England with the timing of a lot of these World Cups at the end of the [English] summer, so it’s about never taking your eye off any format because if you do, sides will go past you when you think that you’re okay,” Hussain had noted.

Despite England’s struggles in the World Cup, they managed to secure qualification for the 2025 Champions Trophy with two late wins in the tournament.

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