'What have we won after or before the 2017 CT?' - Kamran Akmal questions Pakistan's previous team management

Pakistan’s recent series loss against England has sent shockwaves across the nation. Playing against a second-string England team, Babar Azam and co. all lost the ODI matches. This has invited a lot of criticism from all the nooks and corners of the country’s cricket experts. After Ramiz Raza, Shoaib Akhtar, and Inzamam-ul-Haq, wicketkeeper-batsman Kamran Akmal is the latest to criticize the national team’s performance. 

Akmal blamed the former coaches of the Pakistan team for the current situation. During the same interaction, Akmal praised the cricket system of England for being able to make a squad of players fit enough to play international cricket in such a small time. After the COVID scare struck the England camp just a couple of days before the ODI series, all the players had to be quarantined and a second-string side, a combination of inexperienced internationals and debutants played against Pakistan. 

“The biggest plus point of England cricket is their system. The players they selected for the series didn’t show a single sign of nervousness, neither did they hit the panic button. They didn’t even complain about the absence of regulars who were in isolation, because they have that kind of confidence,” Akmal told paktv.tv YouTube Channel. 

We were No. 1 in T20Is and in Tests just for a month: Kamran Akmal

The wicketkeeper-batsman further said that the players who played for England had come into international cricket because of their quality performances in domestic cricket. He said that the players were able to handle pressure well and played with planning. “They passed a message to the world how a cricket team should be made and what should be the selection criteria,” he added.

According to the experienced wicketkeeper, the damage was done by the team during the tenure of ex-coaches and their policies of running the system which hampered the cricketing environment. Akmal questioned if the previous two coaches really improved the team. According to him, the current management is facing issues because of the previous management. 

The veteran keeper expressed that the players need to spend more time on the ground, focusing on each of the three formats. However, he feels that the players are only concerned with the T20Is. Akmal further went on to question, what has Pakistan team won before and after their 2017 Champions Trophy win. 

“Vicky Bhai [Waqar Younis] was the head coach earlier and then there was Mickey Arthur. What have we won after or before the 2017 Champions Trophy? We were No 1 in T20Is and in Tests just for a month. But what about India who have been on the top for five years?” he added.

Pakistan will play England in a three-match T20I series starting on Friday.

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