Akram weighs in on Pakistan’s preparations for first Test against Australia

Former legendry pacer, Wasim Akram, has shared his insights on Pakistan’s performance in the practice match ahead of the highly anticipated first Test against Australia in Perth. 

In a recent conversation with a local sports platform, Akram highlighted that drawing significant conclusions from the Canberra warm-up might be premature.

“Canberra is too early. OK, the captain got 200 … they got some runs, so there’s a bit of confidence. (But) new management, new captain. It will take time, especially at the first Test match in Perth. We know the pitch is very bouncy, different pitch altogether from Canberra. It’ll be a big Test for this team,” Akram said.

The newly appointed Pakistan Test captain Shan Masood led the national team in a four-day practice game against the Prime Minister’s XI in Canberra. 

Masood showcased captaincy skills by scoring an impressive 201* in the first innings, prompting the team to declare at 391 runs with 9 wickets down. 

In response, PM’s XI displayed a strong batting performance, accumulating 367 runs with 4 wickets lost, resulting in a drawn match.

The left-hand batter is set to captain the Men in Green in a three-match Test series against Australia, led by Cummins, scheduled to kick off on December 14th in Perth.

Pakistan squad: Shan Masood (c), Aamir Jamal, Abdullah Shafique, Abrar Ahmed, Babar Azam, Faheem Ashraf, Hasan Ali, Imam-ul-Haq, Khurram Shahzad, Mir Hamza, Mohammad Rizwan (wk), Mohammad Wasim Jnr, Noman Ali, Saim Ayub, Salman Ali Agha, Sarfaraz Ahmed (wk), Saud Shakeel, Shaheen Afridi

Australia squad: David Warner, Usman Khawaja, Marnus Labuschagne, Steve Smith, Travis Head, Mitchell Marsh, Alex Carey, Pat Cummins (captain), Mitchell Starc, Nathan Lyon, Josh Hazlewood, Scott Boland, Cameron Green, Lance Morris

Australia tour schedule:

• 1st Test – Australia vs Pakistan – December 14-18: Perth Stadium
• 2nd Test – Australia vs Pakistan – December 26-30: Melbourne Cricket Ground (MCG)
• 3rd Test – Australia vs Pakistan – January 3-7: Sydney Cricket Ground (SCG)