Alec Stewart helped me: Kamran Akmal
Pakistan’s beleaguered wicket-keeper Kamran Akmal made a sterling comeback in the third test against England at the Oval and has vowed to make a big impact with the bat as well after holding onto eight catches in South London.
Akmal was axed from the second test after a wretched run with the bat and gloves as he was replaced by Zulqarnain Haider for the third test. The Karachi born keeper responded with a magnificent 88 runs knock in the second innings to make a real impression in his debut test.
However, lady luck smiled on Akmal once again as Zulqarnain sustained a finger injury on the eve of the match that ruled him out of the last two tests of the series, ensuring Akmal’s return to the playing eleven.
Pakistan performed outstandingly well in the match, making a rousing comeback to reduce England’s lead to 2-1 with the final match set to start at Lords later this week.
After the match, Kamran Akmal admitted that there were some glaring errors that have crept in his game and he needed to spend some to fix them.
"There have been some technical issues with both the bat and the gloves," claimed the keeper who also completed 200 dismissals in the match. He also revealed that he had special sessions with some of the stalwarts of the game besides the coaching staff to fix his batting and keeping issues. Kamran said, "I have been looking at the batting issues with Ijaz Ahmed and more recently with Mohammad Yousuf. Missing the match at Edgbaston gave me the ideal opportunity to assess my game and it was the perfect time for some reflection”.
On the keeping front, he has sought help from former England wicket-keeper batsman Alec Stewart who played more than 100 tests for his country, remaining one of the most prolific keeper-batsman in the 1990’s.
The http://www.senore.com/Cricket/Surrey-c851 player regularly opened the innings for his country in test cricket and was considered to be one of the best players of fast bowling at his pomp.
"Alec http://www.senore.com/Cricket/Paul-Farbrace-c81060 and Wasim Bari have also provided me with some advice and guidance on a couple of technical issues. I've taken on board all of the advice that has been given to me and it definitely paid dividends at the Oval."
Despite the improvements in his keeping, Akmal’s form with the bat is still questionable.
The right-hander has accumulated a measly 10 runs in four innings in the series thus far, the 10 runs came in the first innings at the Oval following a pair at Trent Bridge in the first test.
He scored a duck in the third test when he shouldered his arms to a spinning delivery from Graeme Swann, leaving http://www.senore.com/Cricket/Pakistan-c755 precariously placed in their nerve wrecking chase of 148 runs on the fourth day.
"All players suffer a bad spell in their career with the bat. Take a look at Alistair Cook who has been struggling with the bat of late, but he has bounced back with a century at the Oval. I will look at the way he has fought back with the bat as an inspiration and hope that I can do the same at Lords."
Despite his follies in recent months, Kamran is confident of turning a corner in his career in the last test. He has also backed his team to draw the series, claiming that the return of Mohammad Yousuf from retirement has had a huge bearing on the result.
"Yousuf's introduction to the squad has made a huge difference to everyone's morale and belief. He's such an experienced campaigner and his calmness really rubs off on the rest of us”.
Tags: