"Locality team": Kamran Akmal lambasts Pakistan's "shameful performance", accuses players of chasing "personal milestones"
Oct 11, 2024
New Delhi [India], October 11 : Former Pakistan wicketkeeper Kamran Akmal launched a scathing attack on the current lot by comparing it to a "locality team" and accusing the players of playing for their milestones.
Pakistan made the headlines for all sorts of wrong reasons after facing humiliation at the hands of England in the opening Test in Multan on Friday.
England, who upped the ante over five days, stood victorious in the scorching heat of Multan by an innings and 47 runs.
Pakistan became the first team in the history of Test cricket to end up on the losing side after posting 550-plus runs in their first attempt.
Kamran, who struggled to digest the way the hosts performed, labelled them as a 'locality team' and claimed that Pakistan can conjure up wins only against the small sides.
"The world must be amazed by the way Pakistan lost. Nobody will believe this. Pakistan side has become a locality team. Even the club team doesn't perform like this. This is the current standard of our team. We win against small teams but can't even get close to big teams. The whole world is laughing at the Pakistan team," Kamran said on his YouTube channel.
In the first innings, Pakistan had three centurions with skipper Shan Masood, Salman Ali Agha and Abdullah Shafique. Their efforts propelled Pakistan's score to 556, which eventually vanished in thin air.
The 42-year-old accused the players of being selfish and playing for their milestone before the team.
"Pakistan team have selfish approach. In our country, players play for their personal milestones and then think about the team," he added.
Before the commencement of the opening Test, the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) hosted a 'Connection Camp', which was aimed at establishing a clear and unified vision for the future of Pakistan cricket.
However, after the camp, the lack of unity within the team became an open secret in front of the entire world. PCB Chief Operating Officer Salman Naseer admitted that the lack of unity among the team and management was discussed during the camp.
Kamran asked for an inquiry within the team to find out the players who are responsible and wants them to be dropped following the "shameful performance" of the players.
"The captain should be asked who is the player involved in this. Inquire about this and remove the responsible person. You are favouring them without performance. The whole world is playing against Pakistan to make records. Shameful performance," he remarked.
After losing six consecutive Test matches, Pakistan will look to find a way to return to winning ways in the second Test which will begin on Tuesday in Multan.