Sreesanth has talent, needs to be controlled better: Akram

Akram said Sreeanth has the ability to pick wickets with the new ball and just need to manage himself in a better way.

"Absence of Ashish Nehra in the opening match against Bangladesh gave the Kerala Express a "back-door" entry into the playing XI, but I have always maintained Sreesanth is definitely a top choice for me.

"From a cricketing point of view, Sreesanth is a wicket-taking bowler. I will like to see him running in the way he is doing right now and try to bowl the right line. Once in a while, on flat tracks, he might get hammered but he might still give you two quick breakthroughs with the new ball," Akram said.

Akram, who retired after playing 104 Tests and 356 ODIs, said that one cannot fault Sreesanth for his on-field antics as he is a young and emotional guy. "You can't fault Sreesanth for trying too hard. He is emotional and obviously wants to seal a berth in the team. He is an aggressive and a positive bowler and that is very important.

"It's just that he has to control himself better. He can't be bowling fast every ball and can't be taking a wicket with every delivery," Akram told ESPNStar.com Commenting on Sreesanth's performance in the World Cup opener against co-hosts Bangladesh, Akram said he was unlucky with a couple of inside edges missing the stumps.

"Against Bangladesh, where he went wicketless, Sreesanth was unlucky as few deliveries missed the stumps. His first two overs went for quite a few runs and so his confidence also went down. But he is wicket-taking bowler. Obviously his no balls need to be controlled but also he is swinging the ball which is very important according to me."

Akram also praised pacer Munaf Patel for his performance against Bangladesh. "He has definitely improved in the last two years and he admitted after the match that he was taking extra care of his physical fitness. Munaf's body language and his fielding have improved and he is a very intelligent and clever bowler as far as the variation of pace is concerned," he said.

Young sensation and Indian batsman Virat Kohli also came in for rich praise from Akram. "The more I am seeing Kohli making runs, the more I am getting impressed. He is certainly a very talented and exciting player. I hope Kohli understands he should be looking to be a great Test player and not a great T20 hero.

"He's got the ability to be a classy batsman. And a 100 in his first World Cup game -- it is a dream-come-true for a youngster like him. I hope Virat has cemented the fourth spot in the strong Indian team," he said.