Cricket: Umar Akmal scores 153 in warm up match against Kent, Pakistan makes 360
Umar Akmal scored 153 runs against Kent, when none of the other batsmen managed to go higher than the 30-run mark. This showed a poor form ahead of their test series against Australia and England. Even Captain Shahid Afridi suffered a duck on the opening day of the second three-day tour match in Canterbury.
Pakistan didn’t have a good start, only managing 53 for 3, but soon recovered to go on to 360. Akmal, who only a week earlier had been Pakistan’s top scorer with 51 in the tour opening win over MCC in the Twenty20 at Lords.
In his 153, Akmal smashed five sixes and 17 boundaries in total. Partnering with Abdur Rehman, Akmal made 111 runs, with Abdur Rehman making the second highest score, which was a total of 30 runs.
Umar Akmal’s ODI debut came on August 1, 2009 against Sri Lanka and his Test debut against New Zealand came later in the same year. He first represented Pakistan in 2008 in the U-19 Cricket World Cup and after a brilliant display Umar Akmal earned himself a contract for the 2007-08 Season with the Pakistani National Team.
The style of play that he opts to use is aggressive. Clearly evident in his scoring 248 off the 225 deliveries that he faced, in only his sixth appearance for a first class team. However when he went on to score 186 runs without letting his wicket fall, in a first class match, he got noticed and earned a place in the Pakistani A team for their Australian tour. He performed much better than expected against Australia, which guaranteed his inclusion in the One Day International series against Sri Lanka.
Kent, who had rested their first choice for this fixture, decided to play players returning from injury, including Dewald Nel and Robbie Joseph. Academy all-rounder’s such as Matt Coles and Alex Blake were also included in the squad. Pakistan clearly seemed uneasy with the make-shift opposition, and had lost four wickets for 112 early on in the game. Pakistan’s first three batsmen were all dismissed within the first hour, all leg-before decisions. Even Shoaib Malik, who was captain during the Australian tour earlier this year, could only manage 27 runs.
Once Akmal had managed to score 150-ball century with 15 fours and a six, he went on to hit four more sixes, three of which came from deliveries by Lawson. Lawson finished with only four wickets conceding ninety-three runs, most of which came of Akmal’s bat.
Pakistan are set to play Australia on the 5th and 6th of July in two Twenty20 internationals. After playing Australia, Pakistan is set to face England in two Twenty20 matches, four Tests, and five One day games. The tour will end in September 2010. Pakistan expects to perform well on tour and will hope that the rest of the team, along with Akmal, continue to perform with more consistency.
Tags: