Former cricketer questions Abbas Afridi’s exclusion from Pakistan squad

Former cricketer Kamran Akmal has raised questions over the exclusion of pacer Abbas Afridi from the Pakistan squad for the Bangladesh T20I series.

Afridi has been the pick of the bowlers for the Karachi Kings throughout the ongoing Pakistan Super League (PSL) 10.

The right-arm pacer is the top wicket-taker of the ongoing edition, picking up 17 wickets in 10 games for Karachi Kings.

However, Abbas Afridi was not selected in the Pakistan squad for the upcoming T20I series against Bangladesh.

Reacting to his exclusion, Kamran Akmal called it ‘injustice’ to the pacer, who continuously performs for his PSL 10 side, and for Pakistan at the international stage.

“I think he has 33 wickets from 20 games in T20 cricket. I think it is an injustice to him. You could rest Haris Rauf and Naseem Shah to give Abbas Afridi, Khurram Shehzad and Sufiyan Muqeem a chance,” he said while speaking on an ARY News show.

Read more: Pakistan announces squad for T20I series against Bangladesh

The former Pakistan batter emphasised the importance of improving the cricket system and developing backup players before the upcoming T20 World Cup.

“The current squad has nine batters, including five openers. There is no planning for the future or strategy to develop new talent,” Kamran Akmal said.

The Pakistan batter also criticised the decision to make all-around changes to the squad that played in the New Zealand T20I series.

“The question is whether you should have fielded a strong side in that [New Zealand] series or this [Bangladesh] series. I think there is no clarity on that,” Kamran Akmal said.

Pakistan squad for Bangladesh T20I series:

Agha Salman (c), Shadab Khan (vc), Fakhar Zaman, Abrar Ahmed, Faheem Ashraf, Haris Rauf, Hasan Ali, Hasan Nawaz, Hussain Talat, Khushdil Shah, Mohammad Irfan, Mohammad Haris (wk), Mohammad Wasim Jr, Saim Ayub, Sahibzada Farhan (wk), and Naseem Shah.