Despite a solid batting performance by the visitors in Pakistan vs PMXI practice match, countryman and former skipper Wasim Akram has warned that the team should not read too much into their performance. Speaking to the Australian Associated Press (AAP), Akram said that there was nothing much to take away from that encounter, where Shan Masood, the new skipper scored a double hundred.
But Akram sounded cautious, since Pakistan has traditionally struggled in Australia, and have been winless in their last five test Tours. They begin their tour Down Under on December 14 at Canberra. “Canberra is too early. OK, the captain got 200 … they got some runs, so there’s a bit of confidence,” Akram told AAP. “(But) new management, new captain. It will take time, especially at the first Test match in Perth.
“We know the pitch is very bouncy, a different pitch altogether from Canberra. It’ll be a big Test for this team. Australia is a difficult country, the last time Pakistan won here was 1995 (in) a Test series,” Akram said. “It’s kind of a blessing in disguise, a tough start for a new captain. But if they do well here and compete against the mighty Australians, that will give them a lot of confidence.”
