Following Pakistan’s 26-run defeat to England in the second Test of the three-match series, Kamran Akmal has voiced his displeasure with the batsmen’s approach.

Akmal said that the majority of batters didn’t turn their starts into big hits, so their team didn’t win the game. The keeper-batter recommended that Babar Azam and Co. never appeared as though they were going for success.

Suad Shakeel was the top performer for the hosts in their second innings with a gutsy 94-run thump. Akmal made the comment that the batter shouldn’t have been given out, which led him to believe that the ball had hit the ground when keeper Ollie Pope caught it.

However, given that England had a leg slip for that particular shot, the 40-year-old stated that the batter should have left the outside-leg delivery alone.

“It never looked like Pakistan were playing to win. The batters got out after their 50s and 60s. Nobody tried to score a hundred or win the match for their side. Saud Shakeel played exceptionally well. However, he should have finished the match. Yes, it was a shocking decision. But I feel there was no need for him to play that shot, considering the field placement.”

he said, speaking on his YouTube channel

“Made a blunder” – Kamran Akmal on Pakistan’s playing XI for 2nd Test vs England

Akmal went on to say that Azhar Ali and Nauman Ali were left out of the team’s starting lineup for the crucial second Test against England because of Babar Azam’s leadership.

The senior cricketer mentioned that the home team would have greatly benefited from having left-arm spinner Nauman on such a spin-friendly surface. According to him, England batsmen would not have been able to freely score against the bowler.

“Pakistan made a blunder by leaving out Azhar Ali. They played two fast bowlers on this wicket instead of going ahead with Nauman Ali. Had Nauman been there with Abrar Ahmed, England would have surely struggled to score runs. From what I have seen, Nauman is very dangerous on such tracks.”

Akmal added

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Pakistan are no longer eligible to participate in the ICC World Test Championship 2023 finals after their series defeat by England. With a percentage of points (PCT) of 42.42, they are sixth in the standings.