Ahead of the upcoming ODI World Cup 2023, former Pakistan wicketkeeper-batter Moin Khan has issued a stern warning to the Babar Azam-led side saying that the 'team is not gelled up' for the mega event.

Pakistan landed in Hyderabad, India last week and played their first warm-up game against New Zealand on Friday. Men in Green faced a five-wicket loss against last edition's runners-up New Zealand despite posting a 346-run target. For Pakistan, Mohammad Rizwan smashed a century while Babar and Saud Shakeel hammered half-centuries each. In defending the total, Pakistan's pace attack without Shaheen Afridi looked ordinary as Kiwis came over the line in 43.4 overs.

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Former Pakistan captain Moin Khan was quick to point out their shortcomings in the side and said senior players including vice-captain Shadab Khan and Rizwan were hesitant to give suggestions to the captain.

“I saw this 100%. The players looked scattered, they were hesitant to even give suggestions to Babar, whether it was Rizwan, Shadab or Shaheen. It was visible that the team wasn’t gelled up. There were no discussions, and even if there were suggestions and Babar was following them, they weren’t working,” Moin Khan told Cricket Pakistan.

After the Asia Cup 2023 exit in Colombo, Pakistan were playing their first match before taking on Netherlands in their World Cup 2023 opener on October 6.

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Moin further claimed that Pakistan players looked "scared" in the Asia Cup match against India as they ended up losing the match by 228 runs, their second-biggest defeat in ODI history.

“Another thing was, against India, players are scared. And those who really are scared that their suggestions won’t work… that’s fear. As a cricketer, you have to play on your potential and you should contribute 100%. It’s okay if your suggestions go wrong, it happens. But your body language shows whether you want to win, and that wasn’t visible. And I’m pretty sure there were some issues in the dressing room. And I know, in a professional environment, there are differences but you have to end them to perform better. You have to move on,” he added.

The much-anticipated India's clash against Pakistan will take place in Ahmedabad at Narendra Modi Stadium on October 14.