Former wicketkeeper-batsman Kamran Akmal has launched a candid assessment of Pakistan’s T20 World Cup campaign, which has seen the gap between the national team and the world’s top teams become hollow.
During a recent interview, Akmal expressed serious concerns about the team’s inability to adapt to the rapidly evolving demands of modern T20 cricket.
He highlighted the growing gap between Pakistan and the top international sides, saying other teams have modernized their approach while Pakistan lag behind in key areas of the short format.
“Other teams have evolved to meet the demands of Twenty20 cricket, but neither our team nor our players meet that standard,” Akmal told AFP.
“It’s like other teams are playing on the moon and we’re on Earth. We only beat the smaller teams but we lost to the top teams.”
The tournament, which ended in disappointment on Saturday, exposed dangerous flaws in Pakistan’s system.
With captain Salman Agha facing criticism for his suitability for the shortest format, pedestrian scoring rates and reliance on insufficient all-rounders, the campaign exposed the underdog national side of the modern game.
The confidence built by the pre-tournament whitewash of Australia 3-0 quickly evaporated as the main event began.
Despite having strong spinners suited to Sri Lanka’s turning tracks, Pakistan struggled from the start and defeated the Netherlands by three wickets in the final over of their opening game.
Agha’s captaincy has come under particular scrutiny. Against India, he opted to field first – a shocking setback as Pakistan conceded 175 runs before succumbing to a 61-run defeat.
The skipper kept his main weapon, mystery spinner Usman Tariq at bay until the 11th over, by which time Ishan Kishan had already scored 77 runs.
“How did you choose to bat on the pitch in the first place?” Pakistan former player Basit Ali has questioned.
“After India scored 175, our batsmen failed to handle the pressure of the chase.”
Agha repeated the mistake against England, delaying his re-introduction after Tariq took a wicket in his first over, England captain Harry Brooke to win a match.
“It was Agha’s weak captaincy,” said Akmal, who took aim at head coach Mike Hesson and the selectors.
“We’re not helped by head coach Mike Hesson’s obsession with bits-and-pieces all-rounders who aren’t complete bowlers or good batsmen.”