"If winning an ICC trophy is the only criterion then New Zealand and South Africa should be banned"- Kamran Akmal

Pakistan wicketkeeper Kamran Akmal feels that not winning an ICC Trophy for a decade doesn't make India a bad team. The Men in Blue have failed to win an ICC Trophy since 2013 when they won the Champions Trophy under MS Dhoni.

However, Akmal feels a great team is also judged by the way they play their cricket and the way they develop players. He feels that in all those factors, India are way ahead of other teams.

Speaking to Paktv.tv, Kamran Akmal gave the example of teams like South Africa and New Zealand, who have also choked at crucial stages of ICC tournaments over the years. He said:

"People talk about India having not won an ICC event for 10 years. You can't win every ICC event. And if winning an ICC trophy is the only criterion then teams like New Zealand and South Africa should be banned since they haven't won any. So this is just a pick. India is a great team and is playing at a different level."

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India don't have individuals who damage domestic cricket: Kamran Akmal

Kamran Akmal also took an indirect dig at Pakistan cricket's domestic structure by comparing that to India's. He feels one of the main reasons for India's success has been that they didn't try to tinker with domestic cricket, something that Pakistan did by reducing the teams at the regional level.

On this, Akmal stated:

"They don't have any individuals who come with their own line of thinking and destroy domestic cricket. This is exactly what's happening in Pakistan since the past 7-8 years which has caused a lot of damage."

India's ODI team seems to be well-oiled as they have whitewashed both Sri Lanka and New Zealand this year. Only time will tell whether they will be able to end their trophy drought by winning the 2023 World cup.