In the just finished ODI series at home against New Zealand, Pakistan utterly failed, with the visitors winning by a score of 2-1. Earlier, in the three-match Test series against England, the team led by Babar Azam also suffered a rout. As many analysts deemed Pakistan’s pitches unfriendly for pacers, several doubts were raised about them. Ollie Robinson, Tim Southee, and James Anderson consistently outplayed the hosts while Pakistani pacers like Naseem Shah and Haris Rauf struggled to make an impact with the ball.
Wasim Akram, a legendary cricketer from Pakistan, criticised T20 Internationals and domestic cricket, saying that players should start concentrating on the lengthier formats to better their performance. “If you get more money for playing only four overs, then this will be an easy decision. Naseem Shah, Haris Rauf, and Wasim Jr. should play first-class cricket. Apart from PSL, they must play 1-2 leagues in a year, but also in long format matches. Pay attention; if we had time, we would have played 4-day matches,” Akram told Cricket Pakistan.
Wasim Akram defended Pakistan captain Babar Azam, who has come under fire for his poor performance in recent bilateral matches, and predicted that the 28-year-old will emerge as cricket’s “greatest captain” in the years to come. “Babar Azam’s captaincy is under criticism these days; in this difficult time, a strong hand of support came on his shoulder. We don’t need any enemy; we are self-sufficient; stop making fun of yourself; if you have Imran Khan, Javed Miandad, or Mike Brierley sitting next to you, then you will understand Babar Azam has a 2-3 years chance. He will prove to be the best captain,” said Wasim.