Exclusive: Pakistan’s Bowling Woes and Opening Conundrum as Kamran Akmal Warns Ahead of India Clash

Pakistan will be under pressure when they meet India in the ICC Champions Trophy fixture in Dubai on Sunday. The Mohammad Rizwan-led side suffered a 60-run loss against New Zealand in the opener in Karachi and must win their remaining two matches to stay afloat in the tournament.

Pakistan had a pleasant run in ODIs recently, with series wins in Australia and South Africa, where the conditions assisted their fast bowlers. However, the road has been thorny at home. They couldn't cross the line in the final of the triangular series against New Zealand before losing the first match of the mega event.

Lack of seasoned spinners

Former wicketkeeper-batsman Kamran Akmal, who appeared in two Champions Trophy clashes against India in 2009 and 2013, felt bowling was a concern for Pakistan. They have been leaking more than 320 regularly. 

"We don’t have seasoned spinners. Other teams have two or three spin-bowling options, but we have only one [Abrar Ahmed]. Yes, there are batting all-rounders, but not enough bowling all-rounders like India's Axar Patel and Ravindra Jadeja. Our fast bowlers have been struggling too." 

"Pakistan needs to play out of their skin to compete against other teams in the Champions Trophy. There are a few loopholes in the squad," Akmal told Sportsboom.com ahead of the big-ticket clash.

Mystery spinner Ahmed has only eight ODIs under his belt, and he was the most economical against the Black Caps with figures of 1/47, but he has gone for runs in the matches leading up to the tournament. 

"You cannot play ODIs with four bowlers. Pakistan can get trapped as it lacks the best combination. When our mystery spinner goes for runs, it doesn’t stop."

"To support him, we needed another solid spinner, someone like Mitchell Santner or Patel. I am also impressed with Indian mystery spinner Varun Chakravarthy. I was rather surprised he was a late inclusion in the Indian team. He should have always been there," he reasoned.

Consistency needed from pacers

Pakistan speedsters Haris Rauf, Naseem Shah, and Shaheen Shah Afridi conceded 214 runs in their quota of 30 overs against the Kiwis, which took the game away. 

"Fast bowlers need to be more consistent. You need to see the conditions. It is different from South Africa and Australia. You have to think and bowl to the field. You cannot win with sheer pace or variation. They tend to lose momentum after the first 20-25 overs. They need to bowl accurate yorkers in the death overs."

"Pakistan has been conceding 110+ runs in the last 10 and 80+ in the last five. Pakistan was known for bowling good yorkers, and that is lacking. India and New Zealand's batting lineup is solid, and you cannot win against them with just four bowlers. There are no empty boxes in teams like India and New Zealand. They look compact and balanced. Indian seamers look good on paper with Hardik Pandya as the third or fourth option," added Akmal, who appeared in 157 ODIs for Pakistan between 2002 and 2017.

Only one genuine opener

Pakistan's best batter Babar Azam has scored 5,416 runs in 104 ODIs in the No. 3 spot, while only 152 in six innings as an opener. Yet, the management decided to back Azam as the opener alongside Fakhar Zaman in the absence of young Saim Ayub, who is recovering from an ankle injury.

Abdullah Shafique, who opened with Ayub and fared well before a string of ducks in South Africa, was dropped. Now Zaman is out of the tournament with an oblique injury, and Imam-Ul-Haq has been named his replacement. 

"We don’t have regular openers in such a big tournament. We have only one [now Imam], and the rest are makeshift openers. Boys [like Shafique] who were working their way up since the past three years needed more opportunities for confidence, and that could have led to a better idea about the combination," added Akmal.

Balaji all praise for Chakravarthy

Former India pacer Lakshmipathy Balaji, who picked up 12 wickets in 11 ODIs against Pakistan in his prime, also felt "India has the upper hand".

"Pakistan has done well in ODI cricket with a few good youngsters and decent pacers, but nothing comes easy in international cricket. They have to fight hard as every India-Pakistan match sets the tone for the rest of the tournament psychologically for both teams and it doesn't matter where you play. They know the difference when they play against each other, as there is an emotional connection."

Balaji is keen to watch Chakravarthy unleash his mysterious variations in ODI cricket. The 33-year-old picked up 14 wickets in five T20Is against England at home recently, which led to his ODI debut. 

"Chakravarthy was needed in the squad because of how he has been bowling. It is his graduation from T20 to ODI, and I hope they continue with him for some time. He fits the bill for his consistency, and he is more than a T20 bowler now. He can handle the 50-over format and will make a difference in the bowling attack."

"Jasprit Bumrah’s injury has put a bit of a brake in the bowling department, but Mohammed Shami is back, while Harshit Rana and Arshdeep Singh have shown a lot of promise," Balaji concluded.