Kamran Akmal mocks ex-coach Mickey Arthur for trying to make Pakistan as fit as India

Out-of-favour Pakistan wicketkeeper-batsman Kamran Akmal hit out at Pakistan cricket's selection process after the chief selector-cum-head coach Misbah-ul-Haq declared the squad in a press conference at the Gaddafi Stadium on Thursday, that will face Bangladesh at home. The right-hander stated that there is a limit to which a player can stand being forced out of the side despite performing consistently.

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While speaking on a talk show, Kamran Akmal slammed former coach Mickey Arthur for bringing in the culture of fitness tests in the team. He said that it was Arthur who started setting fitness as the biggest criteria for picking and dropping players. He even went to the extent of saying that Pakistan cricket was on a decline.

Skills of the players should be prioritised above fitness standards: Kamran Akmal

Kamran Akmal said that skills of the players should be prioritised above fitness standards. He added that players like Abid Ali, who have put in stellar performances for Pakistan in ODIs and Tests in recent times, have had to face embarrassment for their fitness. Recently, Abid Ali became the first male cricketer to score a ton on his ODI as well as Test debut.

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Kamran Akmal went on to question about the number of fitness tests Younis Khan and Misbah-ul-Haq had given during their times. He added that Mickey Arthur, who came to Pakistan, started the problem of fitness tests.

He also said these policies won’t make players focus on fitness and because of such policies, Pakistan cricket was going down. Akmal added that the likes of Inzamam-ul-Haq and Shoaib Akhtar contributed the most for Pakistan due to their single-minded focus on batting and bowling respectively and not the way they looked or kept fit.

Akmal's comments come at a time when Pakistan's fitness levels have dropped to an all-time low. In July 2019 at the World Cup, Pakistan's players were roasted on social media after being captured eating junk food on camera after their loss against India. Shoaib Akhtar himself has questioned the team's athleticism, comparing it to India's and considering the latter's much better and an example to live up to.

When it comes to India, Akmal also cited Sanju Samson's example by saying that India weren’t selecting him because he hadn’t performed in red-ball cricket. He added that India gave importance to Ranji Trophy and then the IPL. He concluded saying that fitness won’t come until you focused on skills.

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Kamran Akmal questions the performances of players selected for Bangladesh series

Kamran Akmal was vocal about asking what the current players in the squad did to deserve a spot over him despite his stellar form in domestic cricket. He added that since the Pakistan Super League (PSL) started, people were selected after 1-2 innings, and not even a big inning.

Ahsan Ali didn’t play even one match in division one in first-class cricket and was selected. Akmal required clarity on Pakistan's selection policies. Kamran Akmal has been in glorious form recently in the Quaid-a-Azam first-class championship as he scored 906 runs at an average of 60.40 with three centuries and as many fifties.

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IMAGE COURTESY: KAMRAN AKMAL INSTAGRAM