The former wicket-keeper batter, Kamran Akmal, has slammed the current young fast bowler of the Pakistan side, Naseem Shah, for the latter’s blunt comment on the unity of the current national side, as the pacer felt that they need to play as a team in the future.
Under Babar Azam’s leadership, they didn’t enjoy a great time in the United States of America (USA) during the recent Men’s T20 World Cup as they couldn’t qualify in the group stage, despite being in a group that consisted of Ireland, the co-host and Canada.
Even though the team didn’t do well, the individual performance of Naseem Shah was quite decent, as he showed great skills in the bowling department. He is looking forward to making a return in the longest format of the game through the upcoming two-match home series against Bangladesh.
“PCB and team management should end what Naseem Shah has said”- Kamran Akmal
In a recent statement, the 21-year-old pacer, during the training session, spoke about the tough times for the team and how they should learn to play as a unit.
Also Read: Watch- Babar Azam And Fakhar Zaman Struggle Facing Naseem Shah’s Brother
“Yes, our comeback wasn’t great, and we can’t deny that we didn’t play good cricket. Criticism is part of it, and we must endure it until things improve. This is a good chance to bounce back, play better, and show up as a team.” Naseem Shah remarked to Geo News a few days before.
The former wicket-keeper batter, Kamran Akmal, has blamed the young pacer for such comments, questioning if the team didn’t have the same bond in the recent past.
“The comments of Naseem Shah, and things that he has said in the press conference, is a little worrying thing for me, that we need to play as a team.” Akmal expressed this in a video shared on his YouTube channel. “What’s the meaning of that? Didn’t the team play with unity before? Such comments are made when these sorts of things can be present in the team. Let’s see. The PCB and team management should come and end these things that Naseem has said, that I have heard.”
The Lahore-born believed that the Test series against Bangladesh would be a great opportunity for the home side, and they should aim to win by a 2-0 margin.
“For God’s sake, these things don’t happen. And what the team needs at the point in time to be at the top of their game is just a victory, some good cricket with good intent. And, it’s a good opportunity for Pakistan that have been series against Bangladesh, which is part of the World Test Championship (WTC). Make it 2-0 just like when did toured Bangladesh with the same team.” The 42-year-old predicted.
The experienced batter also remarked that the batters would need to work hard as they haven’t played good cricket of late, even in the longest format of the game, apart from the two-match Test series in Sri Lanka, which they won with a 2-0 margin.
Also Read: Naseem Shah Reflects On Pakistan’s Recent Struggle Ahead of 2 Tests vs Bangladesh
“So, don’t take the batting in a comfort zone. They need to work done because in the recent past, we haven’t played good cricket even in Test cricket, apart from the two Tests in Sri Lanka.” Kamran Akmal concluded. “If you leave out the batting responsibilities from the shoulder of Babar Azam and Mohammad Rizwan, you have Abdullah Shafique in the top order, scoring runs.”
The opening Test of the upcoming two-match series against the Najmul Hossain Shanto-led side will begin on August 21 at the Rawalpindi Cricket Stadium.