The England-Pakistan Test series will begin on August 5 at Old Trafford.
See Also: England announces unchanged 14-man squad for first Test versus Pakistan
According to Akhtar, there have been too many fast bowlers included in the 20-member squad and he has no idea about the approach Pakistan team management will take in their selection for the opening Test.
“They have announced a 20-member squad. In those twenty, there are around 22 fast bowlers. Let us see whom they select. Depends on the captain and the management, with which mindset they go in,” Cricket Pakistan quoted Shoaib Akhtar as saying.
“What they want and how the pitch is? How management sees the whole scenario. Zero idea what they are going to do. When the team list comes, you will come to know the exact mindset they are going in with. So far as we know right now, nothing,” he added.
Shoaib, 44, reckons the team management will have to bear the brunt of criticism if Pakistan lose the series opener due to wrong selection.
“If you lose the Test match because of wrong selection, then there will be strong criticism. If 40 players have gone and from there also you don’t get a proper Test squad, then what can you do. I feel sorry for the management but they should pick their best XI,” he remarked.
Pakistan squad for England Tests: Azhar Ali (Captain), Babar Azam (vice-captain), Abid Ali, Assad Shafiq, Faheem Ashraf, Fawad Alam, Imam-ul-Haq, Imran Khan Snr, Kashif Bhatti, Mohammad Abbas, Mohammad Rizwan (wk), Nassem Shah, Sarfaraz Ahmed (wk), Shadab Khan, Shaheen Afridi, Shan Masood, Sohail Khan, Usman Shinwari, Wahab Riaz, Yasir Shah.