Wasim Akram cautions Babar Azam, other Pakistan batsmen ahead of England tour

Legendary pacer Wasim Akram has cautioned Pakistan batsmen, including limited-overs captain Babar Azam, ahead of the challenging tour of England.

The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) plans to send a 25-man squad to England in July to meet the demands of playing an entire tour in a ‘bio-secure’ bubble.

Pakistan are scheduled to play three Tests in August followed by an equal number of Twenty20 Internationals (T20Is), with the matches taking place behind closed doors as part of measures to combat Covid-19.

“The circumstances are different this time due to Covid-19 as players will be quarantined and there will be no fans in the stadium,” said Akram while speaking on Basit Ali’s official YouTube channel. “Cricket in England is already tough due to duke ball and it will be a big test for Pakistan batsmen, including Babar Azam.”

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Akram, who celebrated his 54^th birthday on Wednesday, also warned Pakistan batsmen about the threat posed by England’s pacers James Anderson and Stuart Broad. 

“The likes of Anderson and Broad, who are among the top bowlers in the world, will move the ball around all day. It will be a big test for Misbah and co,” he said.

He also had a word of advice for middle-order batsman Haris Sohail and opener Shan Masood.

“Apart from Babar, I think Haris Sohail is a good batsman. Although I want him to be physically fit and lose weight because he can be an asset for Pakistan team,” he said.

“Shan Masood is a strong players but he mainly plays on the on-side, which will make them [England bowlers] bowl him outside off-stump. So he needs to work on leaving the ball and driving,” he added.