‘Jab defend karke jeete do match, tab kyun nahi..’: Rashid Latif defends Shaun Tait after latter explosive PC comment

Pakistan were defeated by England by an 8-wicket margin in the sixth T20I, forcing a final in Lahore. The visitors chased down a 170-run target in 14.2 overs, led by Philip Salt’s spectacular unbeaten 89 off 41 deliveries. With an unbeaten 87 off 59 balls, Babar Azam had helped Pakistan reach 169-6. However, Salt’s ruthless powerplay hitting guided England to an 82-1 victory, the highest runs ever surrendered by Pakistan in the first six overs.

Following the game, Pakistan’s bowling coach, Shaun Tait, addressed the press and discussed the team’s loss in depth. However, prior to the press conference, he made a humorous joke about his appearance. “They send me when we lose badly.” They send me when we get brutally thrashed,” Tait joked before the press conference in Lahore began.

While spoken in fun, several in the Pakistan cricket community were not thrilled by Tait’s statement. On Rashid Latif’s official YouTube channel ‘Caught Behind,’ host Nauman Niaz argued that Tait shouldn’t have made such a remark after such a crushing defeat. “You had the courage to say that.” Why aren’t they sending you? Niaz remarked, “You’re the fast bowling coach.”

Latif, on the other hand, backed Tait, claiming that he should have been sent after Pakistan won while defending the targets in the fourth and fifth T20Is at Karachi and Lahore, respectively.

“Baat theek ki usne. Jab jeete the do match me, usme kyun nahi bheja? Main saath me khada hu uske. Usko express karna chahiye (He said the right thing. When we won two matches, why wasn’t he sent? I stand beside him. He should express his emotions),” Latif replied.

“Jab uski coaching me 145 chase nahi karne diye, jab uski coaching ne 166 defend kar diya Karachi me, uss vaqt kyun nahi bheja? Uss vaqt toh uska idea tha na? Uss vaqt toh aa gaye (coach) (Under his coaching, we also defended 145 and 166. Why wasn’t he sent then? On those occasions, the coach came),” Latif further said.

The series finale between Pakistan and England will take place on Sunday night in Lahore.