Akram slams Azam for dropping Malik

New Delhi, Oct 28: Pakistan fast bowling legend Wasim Akram strongly criticised captain Babar Azam for not being “intelligent enough” with team selection and omitting veteran middle-order batter Shoaib Malik from Pakistan’s squad for the ongoing T20 World Cup in Australia.
Pakistan’s chances of reaching the semifinals are now hanging by a thread after losing to Zimbabwe by one run on Thursday. The loss was a result of their batters not being able to deliver.
“This is what I was talking about. As Waqar said, everyone has to sit down. Everyone from Pakistan from last year, including us, knew that the middle order is slightly weak. Now, this bloke is sitting here, Shoaib Malik. If I was the captain, what is my end goal as a skipper? It is to win the World Cup.”
Malik’s last T20I appearance came in 2021 against Bangladesh. “Babar has to be more intelligent. This is not a gully cricket team where anybody comes into the team on the basis of preferences. I am just saying what I am hearing. If I was the selector, I would have kept Malik in the middle order on the very first day. It’s Australia, it’s not Sharjah, Dubai, or Pakistan that there will be dead wickets,” added Akram. (IANS)