Kamran Akmal, the former wicketkeeper-batsman, has named the Pakistan team for the T20 World Cup 2021, which will be held in the UAE and Oman from 18th October to 14th November, Lets see Kamran Akmal’s Pakistan Team.
Akmal began by selecting a group of 24 participants, then whittled them down to 15. Mohammad Rizwan and Sharjeel Khan were chosen as the openers, with the veteran three of Babar Azam, Shoaib Malik, and Mohammad Hafeez in the batting lineup.
“Mohammad Rizwan has been performing really well as an opener. He has been in great form. Rizwan can play the aggressor in the powerplay and then he also rotates strike in the middle-overs. Alongside him, Sharjeel Khan, who is a fearless batter. He believes in himself and can play aggressively and can utilize the fielding restrictions”, Akmal said.
Mohammad Hafeez is another experienced player, he can finish the game: Akmal
“Babar Azam has been carrying the batting lineup of Pakistan for quite some time now. He is a world-class player. He should be at No.3, while Mohammad Hafeez is another experienced player, he can finish the game and does the job with the ball too”, Akmal added.
“Pakistan’s middle-order is poor and Shoaib Malik needs to be in there. Azam Khan needs to be given a longer run. Others have been given many chances and he should get those too. So, no decision should be made in a rush about him.”
Shadab Khan and Faheem Ashraf’s all-around talents were praised by Akmal, who remarked that they should be indoors due to the circumstances in the UAE. He chose Shaheen Shah Afridi, Asif Ali, Hasan Ali, Haris Rauf, Mohammad Wasim Jnr, and Wahab Riaz as speed bowlers, highlighting the need of taking early wickets.
“Spinners will dominate in the UAE, so Shadab Khan would be a key player. He needs to be in form for Pakistan. Faheem Ashraf has also performed in the recent past and I think he would be given a chance. Imad Wasim is another good player, who has done well in the shorter format.”
“Bowlers like Hasan Ali, Shaheen Afridi and Haris Rauf would be required to get early breakthroughs”, he concluded.
Kamran Akmal’s Pakistan T20-WC Team:
Mohammad Rizwan (wk), Sharjeel Khan, Babar Azam (c), Mohammad Hafeez, Shoaib Malik, Azam Khan, Shadab Khan, Faheem Ashraf, Hasan Ali, Shaheen Shah Afridi, Haris Rauf, Asif Ali, Wahab Riaz, Mohammad Wasim Jnr, Imad Wasim.
