After Kamran Akmal recently smashed another half-century in the Quaid-e-Azam trophy, he showed that he still has quality on Monday. In first-class cricket, he also reached 13,000 runs. The 37-year-old has scored 32 centuries, including his score of 275, in his first-class career.
Nevertheless, because of inconsistent performances, Kamran Akmal has been overlooked by Pakistani Cricket authorities, says the former Pakistan cricketer. Kamran was critical of the previous selectors and coaches for their biased policies.
With Pakistan Cricket having in place new team management, the wicket-keeper batsman is optimistic about getting another chance.
In first-class cricket, in spite of being Asia’s most successful wicketkeeper, Kamran said that rather than being appreciated he has been more criticized. He still believes he has a role to play in Pakistan’s Test side, he added.
“I don’t think much about it. I am proud of what I have achieved as a wicketkeeper and as a batsman. I take criticism constructively and when I play bad, I try to take something positive out of it. I believe that I can still be part of the national squad as there’s a need for a settled batsman at number five or six in Pakistan team for test cricket,” he said.
The previous team management which was led by head coach Mickey Arthur, refused to give opportunities to players who performed well in the domestic circuit, Kamal was quoted by Geo TV as saying. The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) needs to give more attention to performances in domestic cricket instead of performances in the Pakistan Super League (PSL), Kamran suggested.
Previous team management was biased: Kamran Akmal
“The previous management used to make teams based on personal liking and disliking. The new management is giving the chance to those who are performing in longer formats in domestic cricket. If the previous management had given priority to domestic performers, then things would have been different,” said Kamran.
Akmal also highlighted the example of batsman Iftikhar Ahmed, who was overlooked by the previous team management but under the new team management, he has now grabbed the opportunity with both hands. Iftikhar Ahmed has been performing well in the ongoing tour of Australia.
