'Pakistan is a much more sensible team than West Indies' - Shoaib Akhtar on upcoming England series

Former Pakistan speedster Shoaib Akhtar has opined that his country's Test squad is stronger than West Indies and that it would be a mistake to take them lightly. The Rawalpindi Express put forth his views on the upcoming Pakistan-England Test series on his YouTube channel.

Shoaib Akhtar warned England not to consider the Pakistan team as a weaker opposition, with the quality bowling attack at the latter's disposal.

"Pakistan is being called a dark horse, that the team is probably looking weaker than England but that is not the case. It will be a big mistake to consider the Pakistan team weak because Pakistan has a full bowling attack including spinners."

Shoaib Akhtar revealed that based on his conversation with Misbah-ul-Haq and Azhar Ali, Pakistan are likely to go into the Test match with a couple of spinners.

"And the talk I had with Misbah and Azhar last night, the hints are that Pakistan might go with 2 spinners as the England batsmen do not play spin well."

Pak vs Eng: Misbah hints to play 2 spinners in 1st Test https://t.co/n2xxJ9i1T5

— SportsAala (@SportsAala) August 3, 2020

The right-arm pacer recalled that Pakistan had defeated England in the latter's backyard in 2016 while admitting that the team might take a little time to get rid of the early nerves.

"Pakistan had defeated England here in 2016. Although Pakistan looks a strong team but they might take a couple on innings to get rid of the butterfly feelings."

Shoaib Akhtar disclosed that the Pakistan captain Azhar Ali had claimed that their batting lineup would be following an aggressive approach as per the demands of the situation.

"Azhar Ali also told me that they would bat in an attacking manner depending on the situation. Whenever they get a session where they can score runs, they will bat with a good strike rate and attack them. The modern cricket also demands that once you are on top, then you need to dominate and score a lot of runs."

Shoaib Akhtar cautioned everyone not to write off Pakistan as they were a superior team than West Indies in all departments.

"We are a much more sensible team than probably West Indies when it comes to batting and when it comes to bowling. So writing us off will not be sensible."

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Shoaib Akhtar's views about the England team

Shoaib Akhtar labelled James Anderson and Stuart Broad as a great bowling pair

Shoaib Akhtar hailed James Anderson and Stuart Broad as two of the best bowlers in cricketing history and gave them a lot of credit for their achievements.

"Jimmy Anderson and Broad have around 1000-1200 wickets between them. They are great bowlers and you have to admit that they are the best bowlers in history."

"To have played for such a long time and play with that fitness as a fast bowler is a miracle. Although they are medium pace but still they need to come running. Hats off to Broad and Anderson, they are a dangerous pair."

Stuart Broad now has 500 wickets in Test cricket, so here's every one he has taken with the red ball on Aussie soil (so far...) #ENGvWI pic.twitter.com/LBmrRxwD3R

— cricket.com.au (@cricketcomau) July 28, 2020

Shoaib Akhtar spoke highly of the England bowling attack, which has the presence of the likes of Chris Woakes and Jofra Archer to complement Anderson and Broad.

"Chris Woakes keeps taking wickets, which is also a danger sign for Pakistan. Jofra Archer can frighten Pakistan. So England also has a strong bowling lineup."

He also appreciated the England batting lineup with Joe Root and Ben Stokes leading the way and expected it to be an evenly matched contest between the two teams.

"They have Joe Root, Ben Stokes, Sibley, Burns and Crawley and it will be a tight contest and the better team will emerge victorious."

Shoaib Akhtar hoped that the Pakistan team would keep improving as the series goes on, while giving the example of England's series win against West Indies to prove that one can bounce back from an early reversal.

"I would request the Pakistan team not to get bogged down and keep improving from one Test match to the next. Against West Indies, England lost the first Test match but won the series."

Shoaib Akhtar signed off by conveying his best wishes to the Pakistan team while expressing optimism about a series win against England.

"I wish you Best of Luck, Pakistan team. Play aggressively and if you beat England it will great. If you win the series 2-1 or 2-0, then it will be very enjoyable."

Pakistan is scheduled to play a three-match Test series against England, with the first Test match starting at Old Trafford on 5th August. This will be followed by two Test matches to be played at the Ageas Bowl in Southampton.