Pakistan fast-bowling great Wasim Akram has delivered a blunt assessment of the Pakistan Super League, questioning whether the 10-year-old franchise tournament has produced any noteworthy batting talent for the national team. While acknowledging that the league has successfully developed a few pace bowlers—traditionally a strength for Pakistan—Akram argued that the system has failed to find batting gems according to Yahoo.
Wasim Akram Criticizes PSL Over Batting Talent Gap
Speaking during an interview with YouTuber Furqan Bhatti, Akram asked, It has been 10 years since the PSL started, but has a single batter been produced by the PSL? Yes we have produced a few bowlers but tell me have we produced any noteworthy batting talent,
as reported by NDTV Sports. Akram has extensive coaching and mentoring experience in both the Indian Premier League and the Pakistan Super League, having worked with the Kolkata Knight Riders from 2010 to 2017—helping them win two titles—alongside stints with Islamabad United, Multan Sultans, and Karachi Kings.
Contasting With India’s Grassroots Pipeline
To highlight the deficit in Pakistan’s talent pipeline, Akram pointed to neighboring India and the emergence of 15-year-old batting prodigy Vaibhav Sooryavanshi according to NDTV Sports. Sooryavanshi has drawn global attention following stellar seasons and an international debut against England, becoming the youngest international debutant.
Akram noted that the IPL’s ability to discover teenagers is a downstream product of a robust domestic ecosystem feeding talent into franchise cricket. I think when we produce a batting talent like the 14-year-old (Sooryavanshi, 15) then we will see improvement coming through,
Akram stated via Yahoo. He emphasized that Pakistan lacks an equivalent foundation at the club level, leaving the PSL to work with already known quantities rather than uncovering hidden talent.
Calls for Grassroots Investment in Karachi and Lahore
Addressing the roots of Pakistan’s struggles in Test cricket—which he described as “bad” following home-and-away series defeats to Bangladesh according to The Times of India—Akram urged the Pakistan Cricket Board to invest heavily in the grassroots.
* Club cricket needs to be revived if we want improvement in red ball cricket,
Akram said per Yahoo.
* He urged the PCB to spend 100 million rupees each in Karachi and Lahore to rebuild competitive club structures.
* Akram argued that changing coaches, whether appointing himself or Gary Kirsten, would not solve fundamental issues because they would still work with the same player pool as noted by The Times of India.
* He called for patience, asserting that the domestic structure should be given three to four years to produce results rather than constantly changing personnel and rotating players according to The Times of India.
Scrutiny on Team Approach and Squad Changes
Akram also weighed in on Pakistan’s challenging Test series in England under Babar Azam’s side, where heavy defeats brought the team to the brink of a series whitewash according to Yahoo. Criticizing the batters’ approach against bowlers like Ollie Robinson—noting they remained rooted in the crease without moving their front foot forward—he maintained that you need to play with courage, but for that, talent is essential
as reported by Rediff.
Regarding the PCB’s controversial decision to send seven players back home mid-series—including Mohammad Rizwan, Salman Ali Agha, Imam-ul-Haq, Sarfaraz Ahmed, and Umar Gul—Akram played devil’s advocate according to the Hindustan Times. He suggested that after seeing poor performances for three to four years, the board and chief Mohsin Naqvi simply reached a limit. However, he reiterated that building a new team takes time, patience, and adherence to long-term planning without expecting instant fixes per the Hindustan Times.
