http://www.senore.com/Cricket/Pakistan-c755 draft in Hafeez and Adnan Akmal in Test squad
Pakistan Cricket Board’s selection committee has drafted in opening batsman Mohammad Hafeez and rookie wicket-keeper Adnan Akmal in the Test team that is due to take on http://www.senore.com/Cricket/South-Africa-c757 in a two match Test series that starts in Dubai.
Both changes were forced after Danesh Kaneria was not given clearance by the PCB to tour as he is still under a match and spot fixing cloud. Adnan Akmal got the nod after wicket-keeper Zulqarnain Haider left the team in the lurch, announcing his retirement
from international cricket after fleeing to London.
The diminutive Adnan Akmal is the brother of Umar and Kamran Akmal. Umar is part of the team in UAE and played a crucial knock in the final ODI at Dubai scoring 60 runs and keeping wickets in Zulqarnain Haider’s absence.
He has had a prolific record in domestic cricket especially with the gloves snapping 263 catches behind the stumps, besides 6 stumpings.
He has played a total of 72 matches and although he has a paltry batting average of 22 runs per innings he has posted two first class hundreds and is considered a great talent.
He has a highest score of 120 runs. Besides the two hundreds he has posted 8 fifties in the first class game.
He is considered a safe wicket-keeper, who unlike his more flamboyant brother Kamran Akmal is assured behind the stumps.
He was on the fringe of national selection yet was not considered as Kamran remained the number one choice followed by Karachi’s Sarfaraz Ahmed, who played one Test match against http://www.senore.com/Cricket/Australia-c746 during the disastrous tour Down Under earlier in the year.
However, his selection brings mixed news for the Akmal family, who are understandably elated upon his selection in the national team yet are unsure about the future of their most prominent son Kamran Akmal.
Kamran, who was left out of the team for the tour of UAE has received clearance in writing from the ICC, yet the PCB has not considered him for the Test matches.
Insiders say that the Board is still not convinced about him and the clean sheet given to him by the ICC. They also decided to shun Kaneria from the Test squad on similar grounds.
Kaneria was cleared by the ICC and the English Cricket Board yet the governing body of the game in Pakistan does not deem it appropriate to have him included in the team.
On the other hand Kaneria would be replaced in the squad by batting all-rounder Mohammad Hafeez, who had a prolific run in the limited overs series. The right hander scored two half centuries in the series and looked in great touch in the decider before
throwing his wicket away.
Since his return to the national team he has done decently in the T20 and ODI formats, he has proved to be a worthy all-rounder with his bowling and fielding abilities also helping him establish his credentials in the Pakistan squad.
Thus far he has represented the country in 11 Test matches scoring 677 runs with an average of 33.85 runs per innings. He has posted 2 hundreds and 3 fifties and his best is 104 runs. He has also claimed 4 wickets in the longest format of the game.
He is likely to open the innings with Taufeeq Umar, who is also returning to the Test format after a long hiatus.
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