KARACHI, 1 June 2005 — Former Pakistan greats Imran Khan and Wasim Akram yesterday blamed selectors for the first Test defeat against West Indies saying that a lack of good bowlers lost them the chance of a series win.
“It was overconfidence reflected in dropping Shoaib Akhtar. The West Indies were rated as the third from bottom and against them we lacked a wicket-taking bowler,” Imran Khan told AFP.
Pakistan dropped Akhtar from the 17-man squad on fitness grounds, and also said the fast bowler needed to improve his attitude.
“It’s a fundamental rule in cricket that you never underestimate your opponent. Pakistan did underestimate the West Indies, there was complacency.”
Pakistan, riding high after their 3-0 one-day series win over the West Indies, got a crushing blow with a 276-run defeat on the fourth day of the first Test at Barbados on Sunday.
Pakistan have not won a series in the West Indies in their previous five tours. They now face a tough task of squaring the series with the second and final Test starting at Jamaica on Friday.
“Pakistan committed one of the most bizarre mistakes of dropping Akhtar. Mohammad Sami got injured so where were the bowlers to get the opposition out twice?” said Khan, who served as captain when Pakistan leveled the series 1-1 in the Caribbean in 1988.
Akram also agreed Pakistan needed a wicket-taking bowler on flat West Indies pitches and criticized selectors for dropping Akhtar.
“One-day cricket is different. In the one-dayers Pakistan had bowlers who bowled 10 overs and took wickets but in Tests you need to get 20 wickets and there were no bowlers to bowl the opponents out twice,” said Akram, who took 414 wickets in 104 Tests for Pakistan.
“We have never been able to win a series in the Caribbean and thought that this was our golden chance. But from dropping your main players, to poor management, we have spurned that chance.”
