The former Pakistan wicket-keeper batter Kamran Akmal has slammed the former Sri Lanka captain Wanindu Hasaranga for his poor performances in the first two T20Is of the ongoing three-match series against India at the Pallekele International Cricket Stadium in Kandy, where they have already lost the series by 2-0, going into the final game.
In the opening evening of the series, Wanindu Hasaranga didn’t have an excellent time with the ball in hand, but he returned with decent figures of 1/28 in four overs, besides picking up the wicket of opening batter Yashasvi Jaiswal.
However, the leg-spinner had a forgettable evening on the very next day, as he was destroyed for 34 runs in two overs. Young Jaiswal belted him for a six and boundary, while Suryakumar Yadav too nailed him for another four between deep square leg and deep mid-wicket region.
“Cricket is small, Wanindu Hasaranga is big”- Basit Ali
The former Pakistan batter Kamran Akmal feels that Wanindu Hasaranga hasn’t displayed the same intensity in International cricket of late as he has been showing while playing in the Indian Premier League (IPL) and Lankan Premier League (LPL).
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During the recent T20 World Cup 2024, the leg-spinner ended with six wickets in three innings, at an average of just over 13 and a strike rate of under 12. His economy of below seven was also very impressive.
When it comes to most wickets in T20Is, Wanindu Hasaranga sits in the ninth position in the table. He has picked up 112 wickets in just 68 innings, at an average of under 16 and a strike rate of 13.60. His career economy of under seven is another bright spot in the shortest format of the game.
However, he hasn’t looked in his prime touch since making a comeback in the game from injury, which ruled him out of the recent IPL 2024. Akmal, however, believes that the 27-year-old doesn’t look serious on the field, as he has performed poorly in both batting and bowling departments of the game.
‘You’ve been the captain and are a match-winner. But look how he’s batted and bowled. His attitude doesn’t look serious on the field. We have seen him give everything in LPL and IPL. You need to have the same commitment while playing for your nation as well.’ The former opening batter of the Pakistan team expressed in a video, shared on his ‘YouTube channel’.
Sri Lanka hasn’t clicked as a batting unit in the series. Apart from their top three batters- Pathum Nissanka, Kushal Mendis, and Kushal Perera, none of the batters in the middle order has looked in good rhythm.
Despite getting good starts in the series, they suffered on both occasions. In the second T20I game, they scored only 31 runs in the last five overs and lost seven wickets, which spoiled their momentum in the game and never allowed them in reaching to a decent match-winning total.
The former Pakistani batter Basit Ali also took a dig at Wanindu Hasaranga for their seven-wicket defeat in the second T20I game, as he believes that the all-rounder has become bigger than the game.
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‘Number one all-rounder, Wanindu Hasaranga. I think he has become bigger than cricket. Cricket is small, he is big. He got out on the first ball by playing a poor shot. With the ball, he was taken to the cleaners by Suryakumar Yadav and Yashasvi Jaiswal.’ Basit Ali remarked on his YouTube channel.
Hasaranga, who has 266 T20 scalps in 182 innings at an economy of 6.90 in T20s, will hope to make a good comeback in the final game of the series.