Indian pacers don't know what to do with the old ball: Shoaib Akhtar

Former Pakistan international Shoaib Akhtar, who has been at the center of a lot of memorable Indo-Pak moments on the cricket pitch, has lamented the lack of cricket between these two neighboring nations.

“It's very depressing that there's not been much cricket between India and Pakistan, not as much as it should ideally be. I've always felt that every now and then we should find an opportunity to play each other. Generations of cricketers from both countries have experienced this rivalry, the pressure that comes with it, and have matured as cricketers. This generation is missing out on the beauty of that rivalry. There's no fan interaction or crowd engagement happening and that's further worsening things. Politics, be it in (cricket) administration or any other platform should be handled separately and cricket should go on. There's always a way out,” Akhtar told Cricbuzz in an interview.

“There is no cricket happening, therefore this present set of players wouldn't know what the rivalry is all about. For me, Virat Kohli is the best batsman right now and Wahab Riaz has changed so much as a pace bowler. Where's the opportunity to test their skills against each other? A youngster like Mohammed Amir could learn so much bowling to this Indian top-order. In fact, that's something I'm really looking forward to when the Asia Cup begins. And of course, there's the World T20 game to look forward to,” he said.

When asked about how he rated the current Indian pacers, Akhtar revealed that although he is impressed by the new kid on the block Jasprit Bumrah, he feels that the Indian fast bowlers are limited by their inability to use the old ball properly. He said, ”Jasprit Bumrah has made a very impressive start to his career and certainly looks like he brings a lot of qualities. Otherwise, this Indian attack has been struggling with injuries. Shami had to pull out, Varun Aaron is unavailable. There's just Ishant, who has struggled to move on to the next level.

“Well, the Indian pacers should be made to spend six weeks with Wasim (Akram) and Waqar (Younis). They need to learn the finer nuances at the international level. There are two kinds of bowlers, ones who bowl their heart out and the ones who use their brains. I was the first kind. I didn't have to learn to bowl like a lion because the lion was inside me, inspiring me since I was a kid who would watch Imran Khan take the field and bowl his heart out. The current Indian bowlers do not know how to reverse. They just don't know what to do with a ball that has lost shine,” he explained.