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Keeper-batter Kamran Akmal hit out at the Pakistan cricket team over their 246-run defeat to Sri Lanka in the second Test in Galle on Thursday (July 28). Akmal claimed that the Green Shirts did not show a desire to win the series and were satisfied with their triumph in the first Test.
Set an improbable target of 508, Pakistan resumed Day 5 on 89 for 1. However, their second innings folded up for 261 in 77 overs. Skipper Babar Azam was the lone ranger for the visitors, scoring a defiant 81 off 146 balls. However, Prabath Jayasuriya (5/117) and Ramesh Mendis (4/101) ran through their opponents’ batting as the Lankans drew the two-match series 1-1.
Sharing his views on Pakistan’s abject surrender, Akmal questioned the lackadaisical attitude of the team. Criticizing their lack of effort, he said on his official YouTube channel:
“The Pakistan team were satisfied with just one Test win. Now they will beat the Netherlands and play well in the Asia Cup and survive. People will forget this Test series. They will sell 1-2 good innings in the market. This has been the narrative for the last 3-4 years.
“Their body language didn’t look like they were here to play a Test match. They were just there to complete the formalities.”
Pakistan’s batting was poor in the first innings as well. Responding to Sri Lanka’s score of 378, they managed only 231 runs in 88.1 overs. Agha Salman (62) was the sole batter in the team to reach a half-century in the first innings.
Pakistan skipper Babar Azam rues lower-order failure
Half an hour before lunch on Day 5, Babar Azam and Co. had eight wickets in hand. With the possibility of the game ending early due to poor light, the visitors were in with a genuine chance of securing a draw. However, they lost three quick wickets before the break and eventually stumbled to defeat.
Reflecting on the disappointing batting effort, captain Azam admitted:
“The lower order falling cheaply was disappointing. Credit to Jayasuriya for how he bowled, he was outstanding. He was patient; in Test cricket, you need patience. He’s a consistent bowler. He plugs away at a length and sticks to it. Even if he gets hit for a boundary, he doesn’t deviate from his length.
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“As a batting unit, you need patience too, and we were slightly lacking in that department. And that goes for our lower order as well.”
At one point in their second innings, the visitors were 176 for 2. However, they ended up losing eight wickets for 85 runs.
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