Former Pakistan speedster Shoaib Akhtar has claimed that Imran Nazir had more talent than India's Virender Sehwag, and even he could have been a better player than India’s batting great if the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) had groomed the former batsman rightly.

However, Akhtar said Nazir didn't have the mind to make the most the most of the talent despite having the bright start of his Pakistan career because he did not have the temperament and the brain to be successful at the international level.

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He further went on to blame the PC for not using Nazir the right way and grooming him, saying it is unfortunate that Pakistan doesn’t know how to “take care of our brands”.

According to Cricket Pakistan, Akhtar said on a TV show: “I don’t think Imran Nazir had the brain that Sehwag had. I don’t think Sehwag had the talent that Imran Nazir had. Nazir had more talent, there is no comparison with regards to talent. We tried to contain him a little.”

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He further added, “When he hit a brutal hundred against India in a match, I asked them to play Imran Nazir consistently but they didn’t listen. It is unfortunate that we do not know how to take care of our brands. We could have had a player better than Virender Sehwag in Imran Nazir. He had all the shots while also being a good fielder. We could have utilized him brilliantly but we just couldn’t.”

Noteworthy, Nazir was a brilliant batsman and, on his day, he was a match-winner, but his poor fitness and indifferent form couldn’t allow him to pay much to the Pakistan cricket, as he played just 8 Tests, 79 ODIs and 25 T20Is, in which he scored 427, 1895 and 500 runs respectively.

(With Cricket Pakistan Inputs)