Form Pakistan wicketkeeper-batter Kamran Akmal criticized the Pakistan Cricket team's management for excluding leg spinner Abrar Ahmed from the squad for the first Test match against Bangladesh.
The first Test between Pakistan and Bangladesh will be played at the Rawalpindi Cricket Stadium, starting Wednesday, August 21.
Earlier, the Shan Masood led Pakistan side had announced that they have opted to go with an all-out pace attack for the first Test, due to which they released spinners Abrar Ahmed and Kamran Ghulam, from the squad.
Pakistan are currently placed fifth in the World Test Championship (WTC) points table and if they manage to win the Test series 2-0, they can push higher in the rankings to third.
On the other hand, Bangladesh are placed eight in the WTC points table, having won just one and lost three of their four matches.
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Why did Kamran Akmal compare Abrar Ahmed's Test snub to India spinners Ravichandran Ashwin and Ravindra Jadeja?
After the Pakistan team announced their decision to exclude spinner Abrar Ahmed from the Test match at Rawalpindi, and instead opting for an only-pace bowling attack, Kamran Akmal questioned such a move.
Currently, off spin allrounder Salman Ali Agha is the only spin-option in the squad. The last time Pakistan decided to go with an all-out pace attack at home, was back in the 2019 Test series against Sri Lanka.
While speaking to Cricket Pakistan, Akmal suggested that Pakistan excluding a quality spinner like Abrar Ahmed from the squad is akin to India ignoring either Ashwin or Jadeja, or Australia excluding Nathan Lyon from their Test team.
He questioned Pakistan's new head coach of the test team, Jason Gillespie, who is a former Australia fast bowler, who has had success coaching teams in the Australian domestic circuit.
"With Jason Gillespie [new head coach of Pakistan's Test team], we are talking about the Australian mindset. But can Australia play without Nathan Lyon? Will India play without Ashwin or Ravindra Jadeja? No, they won't. You have Abrar, but you have shut down his confidence so much," Akmal questioned.
The former Pakistan cricketer also highlighted the Pakistan management's bias in picking and ignoring certain players for the national team.
"Due to personal likes and dislikes, that boy [Abrar Ahmed] has been ruined. His fitness and off-the-field issues were highlighted, and because of that, you've spoiled that boy and harmed Pakistan," Akmal added.
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What is Pakistan's squad for the first Test match against Bangladesh?
Shan Masood (captain), Saud Shakeel, Abdullah Shafique, Babar Azam, Khurram Shahzad, Mir Hamza, Mohammad Ali, Muhammad Hurraira, Mohammad Rizwan, Naseem Shah, Saim Ayub, Agha Salman, Sarfaraz Ahmed, Shaheen Shah Afridi
Schedule for Pakistan vs Bangladesh Test series
| Team | Date | Time | Venue |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1st Test | August 21 - August 25, 2024 | 11:00 am | Rawalpindi |
| 2nd Test | August 30 - September 03, 2024 | 11:00 am | Rawalpindi |
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