http://www.senore.com/Cricket/Fawad-Alam-c56883: An unsung hero of Pakistan’s domestic cricket - Opinion
Pakistan have produced a number of great batsmen over the years but one can safely say that batting has never been the country’s strength in international cricket, as the Green Shirts have always relied on their extra-ordinary bowling
attacks to win them matches.
The situation has been worse in the previous 10 years as very few quality batsmen have emerged through the ranks of domestic cricket in the country. Many argue that the Pakistan Cricket Borad’s (PCB) strategy of preparing green-tops
in first-class cricket has backfired as the batsmen do not get a proper opportunity to establish themselves and build a temperament, which is suited to the longer format of the game.
There is a dearth of batsmen in the country at the present moment who average more than 45 runs per innings in the four-day version of the sport. However, there is an exception in shape of Fawad Alam, the left-handed batsman from Karachi,
who is has an amazing record in first-class cricket.
The 27-year-old cricketer, who plays domestic cricket for Karachi and the National Bank of http://www.senore.com/Cricket/Pakistan-c755 (NBP), is presently averaging more than 56 runs per innings in first-class cricket, which is an all-time best for any Pakistani batsman.
The gutsy middle-order batsman has surpassed the likes of http://www.senore.com/Cricket/Saeed-Anwar-c87864 at the national level, which is an extra-ordinary achievement.
Quite unfortunately though, Alam has been labelled as a limited-over cricketer by the national selection committee. He represented the country in 27 One Day Internationals (ODIs) and 24 T20 Internationals; however, a batsman who made
a century on debut has just played three Tests so far.
Very rightly, Fawad considers himself to be extremely unfortunate that he is not been given a chance to prove his credentials at the highest level of the sport, which is thoroughly deserved, taking into account the fact that only 20
players in the history of the game have better batting averages in first-class cricket, which is a parameter for international selection all around the world.
“I've always wanted to be prominent, and I want to gain this prominence by scoring heavily. I think my first-class career is evidence enough to dispel this false perception,” the left-handed batsman added. “I have scored runs in difficult
situations and won my national place in 2007. If I am away from the national side, it is perhaps because of my luck; otherwise I have scored enough.”
The talented batsman’s father and mentor, http://www.senore.com/Cricket/Tariq-Alam-c92773, is also a former first-class cricketer, who played more than a hundred games between 1974 and 1994. The left-hander feels that his father has helped him immensely in polishing his
skills.
“I didn't need to go out to learn cricket - he was there for me to guide and take care of me,” Fawad said. “He is my courage and a cricket university at home who helped my career develop.”
At the present moment, there are a number of talented batsmen, who are fighting for places in the Test team but surprisingly, Fawad has been ignored by the national selection committee since the last couple of years. With the kind of
first-class record Fawad possesses, the left-hander is surely an unsung hero of Pakistan’s domestic sport, deserving a proper opportunity to prove his mettle at the game’s highest level.
Disclaimer: The views and opinions expressed in this article are solely of the author and do not represent Bettor.com's official editorial policy.
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