Kamran Akmal Wants Babar Azam to Include Mohammad Amir, Wahab Riaz in Pakistan Squad for ICC T20 World Cup 2021

Kamran Akmal has urged Pakistan captain Babar Azam to consider Mohammad Amir and Wahab Riaz for the ICC T20 World Cup, scheduled to be played later this year. The former Pakistan wicket-keeper batsman also reckons that Azam needs to bring a change in his selection policy for the betterment of his side. "Babar Azam is improving as a captain with passing time. Although, he need to bring improvement in his selection policy. Inzi [Inzamamul Haq] and Younis [Khan] bhai were very strict in this matter. They valued domestic experience over short-cut selections. Babar needs to understand that this will affect team performance in the future," Akmal told Cricket Pakistan. ICC Players of the Month: Pakistan Skipper Babar Azam, Australian Women's Wicketkeeper Alyssa Healy Voted Players of the Month.

Akmal also believes that Amir and Riaz still have a lot to offer and their experience will be handy in a marquee tournament like World Cup. "The situation will be clear after the tour of England. Mohammad Amir and Wahab Riaz should be included in the side. Amir has four to five years of cricket left in him, while Riaz can play for another two or three years. Experience is very important. Pakistan needs mature bowlers bearing in mind the flat nature of pitches in India," the 39-year-old opined.

Further in the conversation, Akmal highlighted that Pakistan tend to play weak opponents and struggle against potent teams. "Luckily, the teams Pakistan has played against in the past seven or eight months have lacked their top players but I'm sure the coach, selectors and Babar knows where their team stands when they will come up against the likes of India, England and Australia. I don't think they want to admit this but things will become clear going forward," said Kamran.

"Players need to be selected based on domestic experience. Look at the examples of Babar Azam, Hasan Ali, Fawad Alam and Imamul Haq, they have all been selected on consistent domestic performance which is now being translated into international cricket. I don't know why the selectors are in a hurry to give young players chances. Maybe they think these players will leave Pakistan if not selected," he added.

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on May 10, 2021 03:32 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).