Pakistan Have Zero Idea About Planning for England Tour: Shoaib Akhtar

Pakistan have announced a 29-man squad for their upcoming Test series against England which gets beginning on August 5th at Old Trafford, and former fast bowler Shoaib Akhtar has questioned the selection. The three-match Test series is the first bit of international cricket for Pakistan since the onset of the coronavirus pandemic.

Azhar Ali will captain Pakistan in the Tests and has a good pool of fast bowlers to pick from for the much-anticipated series.

According to Akhtar, Pakistan are clueless about their plans in the series.

He further said that they have selected 22 fast bowlers in the squad and he would like to see what is the mindset of the captain when they name the team for the first Test.

"That we don't know. They have announced a 20-member squad. In that twenty, there are around 22 fast bowlers. Let us see whom they select. Depends on the captain and the management, with which mindset they go in," said Akhtar on Geo Cricket.

"What they want and how the pitch is? How the management sees the whole scenario. Zero idea what they are going to do. When the team list comes, you will come to know the exact mindset they are going in with. So far as we know right now, nothing," he added.

Naseem Shah, Wahab Riaz, Shaheen Shah Afridi, Usman Shinwari and Mohammad Abbas are the fast bowling options Pakistan have at their disposal while Yasir Shah, Shadab Khan and Kashif Bhatti are the spinners.

Akhtar raised doubts over the mindset of players and team management and said he does not know if Pakistan will go into the first Test with the mindset of winning the game or drawing it. He also pointed out the lack of aggression in Azhar Ali's captaincy so far.

"I don't know if they are going with the mindset of going for a draw or to win. The captain or coach has to decide which fast bowler or spinner they want to go in with. I don't know which mindset they will go in with because I have not seen the aggression in Azhar Ali's captaincy. Once I see the bowlers in the team list, I will come to know if they are planning to win," said the Rawalpindi Express.