Former Pakistan cricketer Kamran Akmal has targeted the Pakistan team management for excluding veteran spinner Abrar Ahmed from the first Test match against Bangladesh. Pakistan will host Bangladesh for two Test matches starting on 21 August. Both the matches will be played in Rawalpindi. After being selected for both the Test matches, Abrar was released just a few days before the start of the first Test. This means that Pakistan will play the first Test against Bangladesh on home ground without a star spinner.
Pakistan have already announced their playing XI against Bangladesh where Shaheen Shah Afridi will lead the pace attack and Saud Shakeel will be Shan Masood's deputy. This Test series will be the first assignment for their head coach Jason Gillespie.
"With Jason Gillespie (Pakistan's Test head coach), we are talking about the Australian mindset. But can Australia play without Nathan Lyon? Will India play without Ashwin or Ravindra Jadeja? No, they won't. You have Abrar, but you have shut down his confidence so much," Akmal told Cricket Pakistan.
Former Pakistan cricketer Basit Ali also said that excluding Abrar from the first Test will reduce his confidence a lot. Abrar, who made his debut against England in Multan two years ago, has played six Tests and picked up 38 wickets at an impressive economy of 3.63. His absence from the team means that Pakistan will play a Test without a frontline spinner for the first time in nearly three decades.
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Akmal said that Abrar was dropped due to personal preferences within the Pakistan team management. Akmal said, "Due to personal likes and dislikes, that boy (Abrar) is ruined. His fitness and off-field issues were exposed and because of this you spoiled that boy and harmed Pakistan." The first Test match against Bangladesh will start on August 21 in Rawalpindi.
Pakistan playing XI against Bangladesh
Abdullah Shafique, Saim Ayub, Shan Masood (C), Babar Azam, Saud Shakeel (VC), Mohammad Rizwan (WK), Salman Ali Agha, Shaheen Shah Afridi, Naseem Shah, Khurram Shahzad, Mohammad Ali
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