"Came to Pakistan with so much clarity" - Kamran Akmal on England's dominant Test series win
Veteran keeper-batter Kamran Akmal believes England have thoroughly outperformed Pakistan in the ongoing Test series with emphatic wins in the first two games.
Speaking on his YouTube channel, Akmal pointed out how Ben Stokes and Co. were spot-on with their plans, dominating with both bat and ball. He opined that the visitors were never under pressure and played on their own terms to complete a historic Test series win on Pakistani soil.
He explained:
"England won the game because of their planning, and they also played some good cricket. They changed their captain and coach very recently, and yet they came to Pakistan with so much clarity.
"They played on their own terms. They batted how they wanted to, never looking under any kind of pressure. The same goes for their bowling as well, as they were able to get breakthroughs at the right time."
Chasing a target of 355 in the recently concluded Multan Test, Pakistan were bundled out for 328 in their second essay, thus suffering a heartbreaking 26-run loss.
Following their back-to-back defeats, the Babar Azam-led side are now out of the World Test Championship 2023 final race.
"Pakistan have only themselves to blame for the loss" - Kamran Akmal
Akmal further went on to say that Pakistan are solely responsible for their 26-run loss to England in the second Test, blaming their batting order blunders for the result.
The 40-year-old questioned the team management's decision to send Faheem Ashraf and Mohammad Nawaz ahead of Agha Salman during the run chase. He also slammed Nawaz for not taking his side home despite getting a good start with the bat.
He elaborated:
"Pakistan have only themselves to blame for the loss. Is Faheem Ashraf a No.6 batter, or is Agha Salman a No.8 batter? Mohammad Nawaz scored 40-odd runs, and the coach hugged him after that because maybe the coach had sent him at that position. The player will be happy, thinking that the coach is satisfied with his efforts."
Hard-fought Test match 🏏
Congratulations to @englandcricket on winning the series.
#PAKvENG | #UKSePK https://t.co/7Ays6MOagD
Notably, Nawaz gave Pakistan a glimmer of hope with his 45-run knock. However, it wasn't enough as the team ultimately lost the encounter.
The home side will be looking to salvage some pride by claiming a consolation win in the final fixture. The third Test is set to take place in Karachi, starting on December 17.