'Forget 360, can Pakistan batters play 180?', Akram slams Pakistan batting
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Former Pakistan captain Wasim Akram slammed the batters of Babar Azam's side after the hosts were defeated by England by an eight-wicket margin in the sixth T20I on Friday.
In a conversation with Pakistan batting coach Mohammad Yousuf, Akram questioned Pakistan batters' versatility, suggesting they should forget about playing 360 degrees but they should at least try playing 180 degrees.
Akram also questioned the ability of Pakistani players to hit boundaries all over the ground.
"Ben Duckett doesn't let the bowlers, especially the spinners settle when they come on to bowl. He plays shots everywhere. If I were playing against Pakistan, I would know where the batters would hit their shots. They are not versatile. No one even tries to do something out of the ordinary," Akram told Yousuf in a television chat.
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"360 is a bit too much to ask for, just play 180 degrees. This is the practice you do, and if you do then why don't you apply in the match," he added further.
Yousuf wearing a familiar composed smile said he is doing his best to improve the all-round hitting abilities of his batters.
“I’m making a conscious effort. I talk to (spin bowling coach) Saqlain bhai about this. When they play spinners, I stand behind and suggest our batsmen a number of different shots, play this shot at this ball, this at this,” he says.
England chased down 170 in the 15th over of the sixth T20I, and Pakistan bowlers had no answers to what was thrown at them. Pakistan had scored 169 runs, thanks to skipper Babar Azam's 87-run effort.
