I wasn’t enjoying captaincy, says Akram

He denied hiding the injury to make the team for this tournament after missing two Tests in the recently-concluded series against Sri Lanka at home.

The star all-rounder also refuted allegations that Pakistan fast bowlers tampered with the ball and said that such charges were made only when his countrymen bowled reverse swing, “an art which we invented”.

Asked about quitting as captain, Akram said “Though I am still enjoying the game, I was not enjoying it as a captain. I had enough of it. Besides, I wasn’t getting enough support from PCB. I was not in it for power. I just wanted to shape Pakistan’s new generation of cricketers”.

In an obvious reference to some former cricketers who have suggested that he call it a day, Akram, who is an acute diabetic, said the disease had never prevented him from giving off his best and that “people have unnecessarily made an issue out of nothing in Pakistan…”.