Former cricketer Kamran Akmal has shared his insights on what's ailing the Pakistan Cricket Team following their significant loss to India in the Super Four match of the 2023 Asia Cup. In an appearance on ARY News' "Har Lamhaa Purjosh," the former wicketkeeper, renowned for his role in Pakistan's ICC World Twenty20 victory in 2009, examined the differences in player selection between Pakistan and India.
Akmal emphasized that Pakistan primarily selects players based on their T20 performance and pointed out that most of the current players, with the exception of Babar Azam, Imam-ul-Haq, and Mohammad Rizwan, are more suited for T20 cricket and struggle to handle pressure in other formats.
He stressed the need for specialized training to succeed in different scenarios. Akmal also criticized Pakistan's batting lineup, calling it mismatched, 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 a spinner to an all-rounder and compared him to Kuldeep Yadav, who excels as a specialist capable of contributing valuable innings during the late stages of a match. Akmal advocated for Pakistan to make full use of Mohammad Nawaz, a dedicated specialist spinner willing to sacrifice for the team.
In contrast, Akmal highlighted India's selection process, mentioning that players like Ishan Kishan make their international debuts after excelling in various regional and domestic formats. He emphasized that India is preparing for the 2023 ICC Cricket World Cup at home in October, which explains why many players from the T20I side are included in the Asia Cup 2023 squad.