Karachi, Sep 4: Former captain Wasim Akram on Tuesday lashed out at the Pakistan team after they lost the one-day series 1-2 to a depleted Australian side following their three-wicket loss in the third match at UAE last night.
Giving his comments on the third one-day international to Geo News channel, Wasim said that Pakistan had made a number of mistakes in the series and final match that Australia won to take the series 2-1.
"As far as captain Misbah is concerned in this series he has appeared out of sorts as a captain, batsman and fielder and made some costly tactical mistakes on the field," Wasim said.
He pointed out that Hafeez despite scoring a half century had batted slowly on a flat track and was unable to provide the Pakistan innings the impetus and thrust it required to pressurize the Australians.
"It was a mistake to send in Shahid Afridi at number 3 as he now plays as a bowler in the side. He is used to play his big shots in the final five or four overs. He doesn't have the application to bat when they are more half of the 50 overs remaining," he said.
Wasim, a former fast bowler, also pointed out that Afridi should only be considered as a bowler now as in batting he clicked once in a while.
Wasim, who is a well-known commentator and expert and works as bowling consultant and mentor with the Kolkata Knight Riders in the Indian Premier League, said that Pakistan had floundered in taking spot decisions.
"The batting order was all wrong I have been saying Kamran Akmal has to be used in the higher order and he is being wasted at number seven and eight. Yesterday he went in at number eight and it was a waste of time for him. He should have been sent in earlier so that he got a chance to bat himself in and gain his batting confidence," he said.
Wasim said majority of the Pakistani batsmen were afraid to play their natural game and were failing to dominate bowlers.
He was also critical of the decision to bank so heavily on spinners and play just one pacer in Junaid Khan.
"It was a strategy that didn't work despite the conditions. Saeed Ajmal bowled brilliantly throughout the series and he is easily the best off break bowler today in international cricket. But Pakistan must also depend on pace."
He also advised the Pakistan team to make more sensible use of the umpires decision review system.
"Misbah should have taken the review when Mike Hussey was out leg before to Ajmal at a critical time of the match. I don't know what they were waiting for," he said.
However, Wasim said Pakistan could bounce back in the T20 series because it was a format of the game that suited them.
