LAHORE: Former Pakistan captain and legendary fast bowler Wasim Akram has called for the revival of club cricket and greater consistency in team selection following Pakistan’s struggles in the ongoing Test series against England.
Speaking to the media in Lahore on Friday, Akram urged the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) to give its newly introduced domestic cricket system three to four years to produce results instead of frequently changing the structure.
“PSL has completed 10 years, but not a single batter has emerged from it,” Akram said, while acknowledging that the Pakistan Super League had produced bowlers.
The former captain said Pakistan’s defeats against Bangladesh in both home and away series had already raised concerns.
“Alarm bells were already ringing,” he said, questioning why corrective action had not been taken earlier.
Akram calls for consistency and grassroots development
Akram said changing coaches alone would not solve Pakistan’s problems because the available talent pool remained largely the same.
“Whatever the coach, even if you bring the best coach, I or [Gary] Kirsten, the talent you have is the same,” he said.
He stressed that Pakistan needed greater consistency in its team selection but criticised the repeated inclusion and exclusion of the same players.
“The team should have consistency, but the same boys keep coming and going,” Akram added.
The former captain called for a revival of club cricket, saying the country’s future talent needed to emerge from a strong grassroots system.
“Talent has to come from club cricket,” he said, urging the PCB to invest Rs100 million each in cricket development in Karachi and Lahore.
Akram also drew a distinction between Pakistan’s white-ball and red-ball teams, saying the limited-overs setup was in better shape while Test cricket remained a concern.
“White-ball is fine, but red-ball is not. We face difficulties in that,” he said.
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Akram questions Pakistan’s pace strategy
Discussing Pakistan’s fast bowlers, Akram said young pacers should be given sufficient time to develop before being judged.
He argued that consistently maintaining a high pace throughout a day was more significant than briefly reaching an extreme speed.
“Bowling one delivery at 150 kilometres per hour is not a major achievement, while maintaining 140kph throughout the day is exceptional,” the former fast bowler said.
Akram also questioned the reduction in Shaheen Afridi’s pace, describing him as an experienced bowler and stressing that players with experience of English conditions were important to Pakistan’s campaign.
“If I were there, I would say I need Aaqib Javed. He has bowled well in England recently,” Akram said.
He further called for greater variety in Pakistan’s pace attack, recalling that the team had previously succeeded in similar conditions with fast bowlers offering different qualities rather than relying on bowlers operating at similar speeds.
Mid-series overhaul ’embarrassing’
A day earlier, Akram had criticised the lack of communication within Pakistan’s team setup, describing the departure of players and coaches midway through a tour as “embarrassing.”
Speaking to cricket YouTuber Furqan Bhatti, Akram said consistency was important but questioned the decision to make sweeping changes during an ongoing series.
“When seven players and two coaches return in the middle of a tour, it is embarrassing for the team and the captain, and it also shows there is a lack of communication,” he said.
Following Pakistan’s back-to-back defeats against England, the PCB overhauled the Test squad, releasing senior players including Mohammad Rizwan, Imam-ul-Haq and Salman Ali Agha. The board also replaced head coach Sarfaraz Ahmed and bowling coach Umar Gul, bringing in white-ball head coach Mike Hesson and assistant coach Ashley Noffke.
Akram maintained that Pakistan possesses enough talent to succeed, noting that his involvement with PSL teams over the past several years had given him an opportunity to closely observe the country’s players.
He also reiterated his call for continuity in domestic cricket, urging the authorities to allow the system to operate for several years rather than repeatedly changing its structure.
