Legendary fast bowler Wasim Akram has advocated for the inclusion of middle-order batsman Fawad Alam into the Pakistan squad for the second and third Test against England. The second Test will start from Thursday.
Pakistan lost the first Test in a disappointing manner after dominating the first two days’ play. Following a commendable performance in the first innings, the batting line-up failed to show the determination in the second as England restricted them before they could post a target of over 300 runs.
“In the next match, you won’t find a turning wicket,” Akram told Samaa TV as quoted by IANS. “You will play with one spinner and you will have to play with an extra batsman.
“You need a middle-order batsman and Fawad Alam is the one. He is also a left-hander, so the team can have a left-right combination.
“He has an average of 56 in first-class cricket, has a hundred on Test debut, so you will have to give him a chance. So if I was the captain, I would include him in the middle order,” he added.
26-year-old Alam has so far played three Tests and scored 250 runs, including one century. He is, however, a mainstay in the ODIs, having played 38 matches and scoring 996 runs in the process.
Meanwhile, former great Rashid Latif has urged the team management to include Haider Ali in the playing XI for the crucial game.
“Haider Ali is missing from this team. His time to play is now and if he doesn’t play, you will waste one year of his career,” Latif said on his YouTube channel ‘Caught Behind’.
“We are waiting for Azhar Ali and Asad Shafiq to retire before including Haider Ali but by then it will be too late,” he added.