Kamran Akmal ruled out of Edgbaston Test
A horrendous performance by Kamran Akmal in the first test against England at Trent Bridge, Nottingham resulted in his exclusion from the Edgbaston test. Akmal’s performance with the gloves and with the bat at Trent Bridge brought his position under fire where he squandered a number of chances behind the stumps in both the innings including four crucial chances of Eoin Morgan, Paul Collingwood and Kevin Pietersen.
His performance behind the stumps reminded everyone of the awful Sydney Test where Michael Hussey was given three chances by Akmal. Eoin Morgan, who piled up a century in the first innings, was dropped behind the stumps on 5 as Kamran Akmal failed to take an easy chance. Akmal was more generous to Paul Collingwood, dropping him in both the innings. In the first instance, Akmal missed a stumping chance when Collingwood was on 48. The player went on to compile 34 more runs in his innings. Meanwhile, Akmal dropped Collingwood on the very first ball in the second innings as well but the lucky batsman could add only one more run. The 28-year-old wicket-keeper batsman was equally disappointing with the bat after losing his wicket without scoring a single run in both the innings.
Team sources have confirmed that reserve wicketkeeper Zulqarnain Haider will be replacing Akmal at Edgbaston. The game will be Haider’s first test, three years after his lone T20 appearance against http://www.senore.com/Cricket/West-Indies-c760 in the final of the 2004 Under-19 World Cup in Dhaka.
The 24-year-old Zulqarnain Haider showed glee over his inclusion into the playing XI. Haider said that he is quite happy that the selectors have given him a chance to play against one of the leading Test playing side in the world. Zulqarnain said that he was expecting at least one appearance but not so early in the series.
Akmal’s propensity to perform poorly with the gloves has outweighed his experience of 51 Tests, 2,624 runs, six centuries and 12 half-centuries. In his last 28 Tests, Akmal has squandered 34 chances and his worst performance came in Sydney during the winless tour of http://www.senore.com/Cricket/Danish-Kaneria-c1314 as the hosts bridged 207 runs deficit, who won the game in the end. Akmal’s out-of-sorts Sydney performance got the attention of the Anti-Corruption Unit of the ICC as well but the charges could not be verified.
Salman Butt, while talking to the media shielded the wicket-keeper and turned down the gossip that “Akmal had been ruled out”. Butt said Akmal has been rested for 10 days so that the player can take his time to overcome the pressure that accompanies a player when he fails to perform in international cricket. Calling the right-handed batsman a ‘champion player’, the skipper showed his confidence in him and said that he will work harder to make a successful comeback in the third Test.
"I would say he has been rested. He is having a run where he is not able to do what he is able to usually. But he now has ten days to just take his mind off the pressures that accompany when you are not doing well at international level. I'm sure he is a champion player and he will work hard to make a comeback." Mohammad Yousuf, who landed in England on Thursday ruled himself out of the game owing to tiredness and lack of outdoor practice due to heavy monsoons across http://www.senore.com/Cricket/Pakistan-c755.
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