Asserting that the Indian Premier League is a great platform to sharpen skills, legendary pacer Wasim Akram said Pakistan and England are losing out big time by their players not playing in the cash-rich Twenty20 cricket tournament.
"Not only IPL benefits players monetarily, they also get a chance to sharpen their skills. Playing in front of a 50-60,000 crowd obviously gives a massive boost to a cricketer's confidence," the Kolkata Knight Riders bowling consultant told reporters on Tuesday.
“The batsmen, the bowlers... they get to learn a lot, plus the exposure of playing in front of thousands of spectators.
"Hopefully, Pakistan and England will definitely play in the IPL in future."
After losing in the quarter-finals at the ICC World Cup, Pakistan were beaten by Bangladesh 0-3 in the recent ODI series and one-off T20 international.
The former left-arm pacer also questioned the Pakistan Cricket Board’s policy decision of sacking a player for indiscipline.
Citing the example of Umar Akmal during the World Cup, he said: "Whenever the team doesn't do well, we sack the players. How come we drop Umar Akmal, how can we drop Ahmed Shehzad? They are young and the PCB has invested in these boys for the last 10 years."
He said it is the coach's job to bring about discipline in the team.
"As a coach my job is to maintain discipline and not to drop them. That's why Pakistan cricket is suffering."
Seated beside former India captain and World Cup winner Dilip Vengsarkar, Akram was asked whether he's ready to coach Team India.
Vengsarkar welcomed the move, saying: "It's a great suggestion. He can inculcate the positive attitude; he knows the tricks of the trade very well."
However, Kolkata Knight Riders' bowling mentor, who recently became father to a baby girl, seemed disinterested in the job.
"At a tender age of 49 I don't want to leave my family for so long. It's a very stressful job and I am happy with Kolkata.
"As of taking up coaching of the Pakistani team, first of all they will have to make the offer. They haven't asked me yet."
