Pakistan’s wicketkeeper-batsman Kamran Akmal, in a video on his official YouTube channel, claimed that skipper Babar Azam was not a kid anymore while urging him to take on more responsibility by not relying on ‘laptop selectors’.

The 39-year-old believed all strong teams in the current world were made by captains who filled the side with match-winners.

“I think the captain has the biggest role. He must insist on the players he wants. All successful teams have a captain deciding the players and creating a team filled with match-winners. Look at England, India and New Zealand. They are great captains and they have made great teams. The responsibility lies with Babar Azam,” Akmal said.

“If Babar doesn’t tell them then it could hurt his own focus and performances. That is why I think it is Babar’s responsibility. He is not a kid anymore. He is experienced and is a top-class player. The PCB has given him complete authority. He should utilise that authority. If he relies on these individuals then our cricket might not be headed towards betterment,” he added.

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Akmal fumed at the fact that players could be picked for the Test side based on T20I performances and claimed that the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) needed to review its selection policies.

“You can’t just pick players for the Test format from those who perform well in T20Is. This is how it is going right now. This is causing damage to Pakistan cricket. The PCB should put more thought into how they select players for the national side. They should think about the process and policy of selection. They can’t just put a laptop in front and show stats. That is how foreign coaches thrive here like Mickey Arthur. They didn’t make cricket better in the country, on the contrary, they damaged it significantly. The same policy is being applied now. It doesn’t work like that,” he said.

“What is the vision and policy of the individuals selecting the players? This is what is happening. They are looking at players bowling in the nets. If somebody bowls one good spell in four matches then you say he has done really well. We have to rectify all of these issues,” he concluded.