Former Pakistan captain Wasim Akram blasted the Pakistan players for their lack of fitness after the team suffered a humiliating eight-wicket defeat to Afghanistan in the World Cup at the MA Chidambaram Stadium in Chennai on Monday.

Batting first, Pakistan set a 283-run target for Afghanistan, which proved to be no problem for the Afghan side who chased it down 49 overs thanks to fifties from Ibrahim Zadran, Rahmat Shah and Rahmanullah Gurbaz.

After the defeat, which was Pakistan's first loss in ODIs to Afghanistan, Akram criticised the Babar Azam-led team's lethargic fielding, which has been hurting Pakistan throughout the tournament.

"Wet pitch or not, look at the fielding, the fitness levels. We've been screaming for the last three weeks that these players haven't undergone a fitness test in the last two years. If I start taking individual names, their faces will drop. Looks like these guys are eating eight kilos of mutton every day. Should there not be tests," Akram vented after the match on A Sports.

"Professionally you guys are getting paid, playing for your country. There has to be a certain criteria. When Misbah [Ul-Haq] was coach, had that criteria. Players hated him but it worked. Fielding is all about fitness and that's where we are lacking."

Pakistan, who have two wins and three losses, find themselves backed into a corner with the semifinal dreams hanging on by a thread.

Afghanistan, on the other hand, have climbed to sixth position in the points-table.