'I can't say': Legendary Wasim Akram reacts after Pakistan's abject batting failure against England
The legendary Wasim Akram expressed surprise over Pakistan's batting failure against England in the first ODI in Cardiff.
Wasim Akram expressed surprise over Pakistan's batting failure against England in the first ODI in Cardiff. Put to bat first, Pakistan were bowled out for 141 inside 36 overs with Fakhar Zaman’s 47 being the highest individual score of the innings. Saqib Mahmood claimed 4/42 as Pakistan batsman failed to put up a fighting total against a second-string England side.
Pakistan’s performance led to the team facing plenty of flak from fans and former players alike, including Shahid Afridi and Michael Vaughan. The latest to weigh in on the debacle is Akram, who couldn't seem to fathom the reason behind such a dramatic collapse.
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"I can't say that this happened due to lack of practice as these guys have been playing PSL recently. I hope it’s just a one-off," Akram said while speaking during the innings break on Ten Sports.
Akram lamented the dismissal of Imam-Ul-Haq up front, who was the first Pakistan wicket to fall off the very first ball of the innings. The left-handed batsman was struck plumb in front of the wicket, with Akram asserting that the shot selection on that delivery could have been better from Imam.
"Imam-Ul Haq played across the line on the very first ball. It was obvious that the bowlers will get some assistance early on and he would have been better off if he had played the ball with a straight bat," Akram added.
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The Pakistan batting line-up read a sorry reading with two batsmen getting out for a duck, including captain Babar Azam, who endured a second-ball dismissal. With Akram on the show was batsman Shan Masood, who feels Pakistan should have played cautiously and respected the conditions than getting carried away.
"When a team asks you to bat first, you respect the opposition and assess the conditions before playing yours shots," said Masood.
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