To label me as a limited-over specialist is unfair, feels Umar Akmal – Cricket News Update
Pakistan’s young middle-order batsman, http://www.senore.com/Cricket/Umar-Akmal-c94595, believes that he has the capacity to deliver the goods in all three formats of the game and to restrict him to just the shorter versions is not fair.
The stylish batsman from Lahore came through the ranks of junior cricket in the country, representing the Green Shirts in the http://www.senore.com/Cricket/ICC-World-Cup-2011-c100625 Under-19 World Cup 2008. The 22-year-old cricketer performed exceptionally well in the opening seasons of his first-class career to get noticed by the national selectors.
During Pakistan’s tour of http://www.senore.com/Cricket/New-Zealand-c754 at Dunedin.
Over the last 12 months however, Akmal has been given a chance to represent Pakistan only in the limited-over formats, although he has been doing quite well recently.
Surprisingly, the hard-hitting batsman has been left out by SNGPL (his domestic side) for the on-going first-class match against PIA at the Gaddafi Stadium, Lahore.
While talking to Pakpassion, Umar expressed his desire to play in all forms of the game.
“My aim has always been to play for http://www.senore.com/Cricket/Pakistan-c755 in all three formats and to be successful in all three formats,” Akmal believes. “To label me as a cricketer who cannot play long innings is totally unfair.”
Akmal averages almost 48 runs per innings in the four-day format, which is better than most batsmen in the country, which makes his ouster from the SNGPL side all the more suspicious and unjust.
The cricketer from Lahore further added that he has done well on occasions in Test cricket as well, which proves that he is not made only for the limited-over sport.
“I’ve already faced over 100 deliveries in a Test innings on four occasions and I have full faith in my ability to play long innings. Test cricket is the toughest format of cricket and that is the format that I want to especially excel in,” stated Akmal.
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