Kamran Akmal: “After another six months, they should be sidelined from ODIs too”
Image taken by: Bimal Mirwani
Former Pakistan wicketkeeper-batsman Kamran Akmal believes captain Mohammad Rizwan and star batsman Babar Azam should be removed from the ODI team in six months’ time.
He noted that Pakistan made the right choice axing them from the T20I squad as they weren’t able to meet the demands of modern-day cricket.
Even though Rizwan and Azam have been Pakistan’s most consistent run-scorers across all three formats for many years, Akmal stressed that he doesn’t see a future for them in the ODI side.
“After another six months, they should be sidelined from ODIs too,” he was quoted as saying by A Sports.
Recently, Azam and Rizwan captained the Peshawar Zalmi and Multan Sultans respectively in the 2025 Pakistan Super League (PSL).
Azam scored 288 runs in 10 games, which included three fifties, at an average of 36 and a strike-rate of 128.57.
Rizwan, meanwhile, accumulated 367 runs in 10 matches, which included a century and a fifty, at an average of 52.42 and a strike-rate of 139.54.
Despite both of them having strong campaigns in PSL 10, they weren’t selected for Pakistan’s three-match T20I series against Bangladesh in Lahore, which the men in green won 3-0.
They also failed to make the cut for the tour of Bangladesh, where Pakistan lost the T20I series 2-1.
Pakistan are now touring the West Indies and began on a high as they won the T20I series 2-1.
Next up will be the three-match ODI series, which will start on August 9 in Trinidad.
Rizwan will captain Pakistan in the ODIs against the West Indies, while Azam was included in the squad as well.
Pakistan Squad for West Indies T20I Series: Salman Ali Agha (captain), Abrar Ahmed, Faheem Ashraf, Fakhar Zaman, Haris Rauf, Hasan Ali, Hasan Nawaz, Hussain Talat, Khushdil Shah, Mohammad Haris (wicketkeeper), Mohammad Nawaz, Sahibzada Farhan (wicketkeeper), Saim Ayub, Shaheen Shah Afridi and Sufiyan Muqeem
Pakistan Squad for West Indies ODI Series: Mohammad Rizwan (captain), Salman Ali Agha, Abdullah Shafique, Abrar Ahmed, Babar Azam, Faheem Ashraf, Fakhar Zaman, Hasan Ali, Hasan Nawaz, Hussain Talat, Mohammad Haris (wicketkeeper), Mohammad Nawaz, Naseem Shah, Saim Ayub, Shaheen Shah Afridi and Sufiyan Muqeem