LAHORE: Former wicketkeeper-batter Kamran Akmal has held Pakistan’s captain, coach, and selection committee responsible for the team’s heavy defeat against South Africa in the opening T20 match of the three-match series.

In the first T20 played yesterday, South Africa defeated Pakistan by 55 runs, taking a 1–0 lead in the series. Chasing a target of 195 runs, Pakistan’s batting lineup collapsed for 139 runs in the 19th over.

Kamran Akmal criticized the team management, stating that “a player who doesn’t even deserve a place in the T20 squad has been made captain.”

He further added, “When Salman Ali Agha was appointed as captain, I was among the first to raise my voice. I said then, and I repeat now, that making him captain is unfair — he doesn’t even fit into the 15-member T20 squad.”

Speaking to a private TV channel, Akmal asserted that Pakistan still has the potential to perform well if the right captain is chosen. “The responsibility for this defeat lies not only with the captain and coach but also with the PCB chairman and the selection committee,” he said.