"Didn't the team play with unity before?" - Kamran Akmal questions Naseem Shah's comments during press meet
Former Pakistan wicketkeeper-batter Kamran Akmal has expressed concerns about Naseem Shah's recent statement ahead of the upcoming two-match Test series against Bangladesh. Akmal questioned Naseem whether Pakistan weren't playing as a unit before the pacer emphasized they must do so now.
Speaking to the reporters a few days ago during nets sessions, Naseem said they are bound to cop criticism, given the way the Men in Green have performed. He reckons Pakistan should see the series against Bangladesh as an opportunity to perform as a cohesive unit.
Akmal observed that such things come out in the media when problems exist within a team. He was quoted as saying by cricketpakistan.pk:
"Naseem Shah, what he said in the press, that's a little worrying point for me. That we will have to play as one. What does it mean? Didn't the team play with unity before? Such things are said in the media when there are such things in the team. So let's see. The team management and the PCB should end this what Naseem Shah said in the media or what I heard."
However, Akmal still feels Pakistan should beat Bangladesh comfortably 2-0.
"God forbid that these things do not happen. And what the team needs at the moment, is only those who can take cricket to the top level, that’s just a victory, good cricket with good intent. And this is a good opportunity for Pakistan. Pakistan has a series with Bangladesh. They should win 2-0 just like they did when they toured Bangladesh," he added.
Pakistan endured a disastrous T20 World Cup 2024 campaign, losing to the USA and India, and scraping past Canada and Ireland.
"Pakistan team shouldn’t take batting so easy" - Kamran Akmal
Akmal warned that Pakistan still cannot take things that lightly, adding in the same interaction:
"So the Pakistan team shouldn’t take batting so easy. But we will have to work hard. Because in the recent past, we have not played any good cricket."
The two-match Test series against Bangladesh begins on Wednesday, August 21, in Rawalpindi.