Former legendary pacer Wasim Akram came out in support of Pakistan’s squad, dismissing allegations of favouritism in team selection following their loss to New Zealand in the Champions Trophy opener at the National Bank Stadium on Wednesday.
Speaking on a show alongside Cheteshwar Pujara and Nikhil Chopra, Akram emphasised that the current team comprises the best available players and refuted claims of selection based on personal references.
“If you want me to be brutally honest, I can be. In our culture, we say, ‘These are our kids, don’t criticise them.’ But I believe these are our best players. If there was someone better, they would have been selected. People talk about ‘parchi’ (selection based on favouritism), but at this level, parchi doesn’t work,” Akram asserted.
Meanwhile, Pakistan’s Champions Trophy campaign has suffered a significant setback as opening batter Fakhar Zaman has been ruled out of the tournament due to injury.
