Southampton: Pakistan lost the first Test in a disappointing manner after dominating the first two days’ play. Following a commendable performance in the first innings, the batting line-up failed to show the determination in the second as England restricted them before they could post a target of over 300 runs.
“In the next match, you won’t find a turning wicket,” Akram told Samaa TV. “You will play with one spinner and you will have to play with an extra batsman.
“You need a middle-order batsman and Fawad Alam is the one. He is also a left-hander, so the team can have a left-right combination.
“He has an average of 56 in first-class cricket, has a hundred on Test debut, so you will have to give him a chance. So if I was the captain, I would include him in the middle order,” he added.
26-year-old Alam has so far played three Tests and scored 250 runs, including one century. He is, however, a mainstay in the ODIs, having played 38 matches and scoring 996 runs in the process.
Meanwhile, former great Rashid Latif has urged the team management to include Haider Ali in the playing XI for the crucial game.
