Kamran Akmal: “Abrar Ahmed is not getting an opportunity, which is beyond me. Ridiculous”
Image taken by: Bimal Mirwani
Former Pakistan wicketkeeper-batsman Kamran Akmal admitted it is “ridiculous” that mystery spinner Abrar Ahmed continues to sit on the bench instead of being included in the playing XI.
Abrar is a back-up to first-choice spinners Shadab Khan and Imad Wasim, but with the former failing to take wickets and not bowling in Pakistan’s 2024 T20 World Cup matches against India and Canada, questions are starting to be raised about why Abrar isn’t getting a chance to show what he can do.
The 25-year-old from Karachi made his T20I debut in Pakistan’s five-match T20I series against New Zealand in April 2024 and finished with two wickets in three games at an average of 23 and an economy rate of 5.75.
Since then, he hasn’t gotten the opportunity to play as he looked on from the bench in the three-match T20I series against Ireland, four-match T20I series against England and the T20 World Cup.
“Abrar Ahmed is not getting an opportunity, which is beyond me. Ridiculous,” Akmal was quoted as saying by journalist Farid Khan on X, formerly known as Twitter.
In the T20 World Cup, Pakistan lost their first two games against the United States of America and India before fighting back to beat Canada and Ireland.
Despite winning their last two group stage matches, the men in green failed to progress to the Super Eights.
Pakistan Squad for 2024 T20 World Cup: Babar Azam (capt), Saim Ayub, Mohammad Rizwan (wk), Fakhar Zaman, Azam Khan (wk), Usman Khan, Iftikhar Ahmed, Imad Wasim, Shaheen Shah Afridi, Shadab Khan, Mohammad Amir, Abbas Afridi, Naseem Shah, Haris Rauf, Abrar Ahmed
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