Kamran Akmal: “He should play for long, as after him, we aren’t able to see a batsman as solid as him”
Image taken by: Bimal Mirwani
Pakistan wicketkeeper-batsman Kamran Akmal said captain Babar Azam has to ensure he plays for a long time as there are no other batsmen “as solid as him”.
In order for this to happen, the 40-year-old insisted that Azam has to resign as captain.
The 28-year-old has been Pakistan’s most consistent run-scorer in all three formats for a couple of years now, even with the added pressure of leading his country.
While players like Mohammad Rizwan have shown great promise and cemented their spot in the side, Akmal is concerned that there aren’t more batsmen making their opportunities count.
“He should play for long, as after him, we aren’t able to see a batsman as solid as him,” he was quoted as saying by Cricket Pakistan.
Most recently, Azam captained his team in the 2022 T20 World Cup and mustered 124 runs in seven matches at an average of 17.71 and a strike-rate of 93.23.
Despite Azam enduring a dismal campaign personally, the men in green still managed to get to the final, but were unable to be crowned champions as they lost to England by five wickets.
Pakistan will now face England in a three-Test series on home soil in December.
Pakistan’s Squad for England Test Series: Babar Azam (capt), Mohammad Rizwan, Imam-ul-Haq, Abdullah Shafique, Azhar Ali, Abrar Ahmed, Mohammad Ali, Shan Masood, Faheem Ashraf, Haris Rauf, Mohammad Nawaz, Nauman Ali, Saud Shakeel, Zahid Mahmood, Mohammad Wasim Jr, Naseem Shah, Salman Ali Agha, Sarfaraz Ahmed
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