Former cricketer Kamran Akmal has shared his insights on what’s ailing thePakistan Cricket Team following their significant loss to India in theSuper Four match of the 2023 Asia Cup. In an appearance on ARY News’ “HarLamhaa Purjosh,” the former wicketkeeper, renowned for his role inPakistan’s ICC World Twenty20 victory in 2009, examined the differences inplayer selection between Pakistan and India.
Akmal emphasized that Pakistan primarily selects players based on their T20performance and pointed out that most of the current players, with theexception of Babar Azam, Imam-ul-Haq, and Mohammad Rizwan, are more suitedfor T20 cricket and struggle to handle pressure in other formats.
He stressed the need for specialized training to succeed in differentscenarios. Akmal also criticized Pakistan’s batting lineup, calling itmismatched, and suggested dropping Fakhar Zaman due to inconsistency,proposing that either Babar Azam or Mohammad Rizwan could open.
Regarding vice-captain Shadab Khan, Akmal mentioned his transition from aspinner to an all-rounder and compared him to Kuldeep Yadav, who excels asa specialist capable of contributing valuable innings during the latestages of a match. Akmal advocated for Pakistan to make full use ofMohammad Nawaz, a dedicated specialist spinner willing to sacrifice for theteam.
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In contrast, Akmal highlighted India’s selection process, mentioning thatplayers like Ishan Kishan make their international debuts after excellingin various regional and domestic formats. He emphasized that India ispreparing for the 2023 ICC Cricket World Cup at home in October, whichexplains why many players from the T20I side are included in the Asia Cup2023 squad.
