Sourav Ganguly extends best wishes to Wasim Akram and Co, explains how Pakistan team can be as strong as India

The Pakistan cricket show The Pavilion which features cricket greats like Wasim Akram, Misbah-ul-Haq, Moin Khan and Shoaib Malik has become a big hit during the 2023 Cricket World Cup for its light banters and incisive analysis and now former Indian captain Sourav Ganguly has expressed his admiration for the show. Ganguly also gave his best wishes to Pakistan viewers and the cricket fraternity as he spoke highly of Wasim Akram.

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“Best wishes to all viewers from Pakistan. I have always enjoyed my connection with Pakistan. I still remember that 2004 tour of Pakistan. What a tour it was, the memories are still fresh in my mind. Wasim Bhai is there, Misbah, Shoaib and Moin Khan… Moin has grown too old, his hair has turned grey. Colour them, like we do. It will look good,” Ganguly said on A Sports.

“It’s good to see Wasim bhai at home. Earlier, it felt like he has roller skates fixed to his legs. Because someday he was in Delhi, the next day he was in Mumbai, or Pakistan or South Africa. But now he is spending some time with his family. His kids have grown up. I saw the picture of his son on Instagram. He’s more handsome than him,” Ganguly said. “I follow the show and I like the way Wasim bhai scolds the Pakistan players. Love to everyone,” he added.

Team India has qualified for the World Cup semi-final as the top-ranked side in the group stage and the former BCCI president also spoke about what has helped India become such a strong cricketing nation. He shared what he believes will help Pakistan recover from their dismal campaign as they exited the World Cup without reaching the last four stage.

“IPL alone cannot help you make the turnaround. Quality is developed through four-day and five-day cricket. If you play too much T20 cricket then mediocrity will settle in,” Ganguly said. “Play T20 cricket and make money but if you want to make players then you need to play for a long time. We need someone like Wasim bhai who used to bowl 25-30 overs a day. Fast bowling with new ball and fast bowling with old ball. You can’t make players by bowling four overs.”

Former India captain #SouravGanguly extends his well wishes to our panellists and also advises on what adjustments should #PakistanCricket make to become a strong cricketing nation like India.#ASportsHD #ARYZAP #CWC23 #ThePavilion #ShoaibMalik #WasimAkram #FakhreAlam… pic.twitter.com/Bs5q2EH629

— ASports (@asportstvpk) November 11, 2023

Talking about India’s success, Ganguly said, “Not just IPL but our whole infrastructure in India is very good. We have so many players and we play so many matches. We obviously have money in Indian cricket and we are lucky. The good thing is that the money has been used in the right direction.

“Players have been given a pay rise. We play a lot of domestic cricket with the season starting in September and ending in March followed by IPL till May. Domestic players keep playing from September to May and all formats. This system has helped us make such a good team. There’s also a (financial) security for players. Pakistan also has a lot of talent. There’s a need for a few adjustments. If they do some adjustments then they can also be as good as India.”