Lahore
Pakistan’s out-of-favor wicket keeper Kamran Akmal added a feather in his cap and became the first Asian wicket-keeper to complete 900 dismissals in first-class cricket.
Akmal achieved this feat during the Quaid-e-Azam Trophy match against Sindh where he collectively grabbed 8 behind the wickets for his team Central Punjab at Iqbal Stadium in Faisalabad.
This sees the wicket-keeper rank at 33rd which is led by England’s Bob Taylor with a whopping total of 1647.
The 900 dismissals for Akmal includes 836 catches and 64 stumpings. He has also grabbed six catches as normal fielder.
The 37-year-old who was last seen in action in 2017, expressed that he wished to play for the national team and now aims to bag the green cap once more.
Kamran said “if you see my stats, they’re evidence of my performance. Those who question my wicket keeping can get an answer from my recent records,”.
“I feel that I am still fit and performing well enough as a wicket keeper batsman to have a place in the team.”
Added to this, he suggested the inclusion of two wicket keepers in the national squad in the same fashion as England and Australia.
“If there can be two wicket keepers in England’s or Australia’s team then why not ours, I think I can play my part as a batsman for the team.”
Akmal emphasized that he has been performing well for last four seasons and hoped that selectors would give him a chance on basis of his performance.
The wicket keeper batsman scored around 2200 runs in last four seasons, including the ongoing Quaid-e-Azam Trophy, at a commendable average of over 56.
“My job is to play and perform wherever and whenever I get the chance. It is the selectors who will analyze my performance and see accordingly,” he concluded.—Agencies
