Pakistan wicketkeeper-batsman Kamran Akmal believes that pacer Mohammad Amir has set a bad example by taking retirement from Test cricket, at a young age. 

While talking to Cricket Pakistan in an exclusive interview, Akmal was surprised at Amir’s decision to bring the curtain down on his Test career.

“I was surprised to see Amir announce his retirement from Test cricket because I think he should have atleast played for another five to six years,” said Akmal. “Amir taking retirement at the age of 27 is bad news for Pakistan cricket and this will set a bad example for young local cricketers.”

He added: “Selecting players on performance based in PSL and increase in T20 leagues around the world is encouraging cricketers to focus on T20 cricket rather than putting in the hard yards in domestic four-day cricket. I’m sure more players will soon announce retirement from Test cricket as well.”

The 37-year-old also questioned the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB)’s selection criteria.   

“It is disappointing to be out of the national side despite my performance in domestic cricket — which is the main criteria of selection,” he said. “Players who have not even played domestic cricket for two to three years are getting regular chances to play for Pakistan.”

He further stated: “Unnecessary experimentation is hurting Pakistan cricket, which is evident from our position in the Test and ODI arena. I hope the new selection committee and PCB ensures that, in the future, the deserving players get the chance to play for Pakistan.”

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Despite being out of the Pakistan side since 2017, Akmal vowed to continue playing till he was in from and fully fit.    

“I will continue to play until and unless my form deserts me and I’m no longer fit enough to play,” he said. “The example of Younis Khan and Misbahul Haq is infront of us as they contributed for Pakistan despite being in their late 30s and early 40s.”

The right-handed batsman also spoke about the need to properly plan for next year’s T20 World Cup in Australia. 

 “Bearing in mind the upcoming T20 World Cup, we need to properly plan, beforehand, for the event, unlike the 2015 and 2019 World Cups, because this is the difference between us and the successful teams in the world,” he said.

Akmal also stated that PCB should give captain and coaching staff atleast two years before assessing their performance.

“I think PCB should atleast give two years to the captain and the coaching staff inorder to properly gauge their performance,” he said. “Captain Sarfaraz Ahmed and the current coaching staff have been there for around three years, which is enough time to put the team on the right track.”