Under The Spotlight: Pakistan Cricketer Kamran Akmal
It has been a tough few months for Pakistan’s wicket keeper Kamran Akmal, who is being faced with a myriad of allegations, including match fixing, and that is not as he was also slapped with a hefty fine for his indiscipline during the tour of Australia. But according to Akmal it is not just him, but Pakistan cricket as a whole was going through a tough period in their history, and considering the sensitive nature of the situation, it cannot afford to be faced with any more controversies.
Kamran Akmal gave an exclusive interview to the Deutsche Welle Radio Urdu, and explained not just his side of the story, but the complex nature of Pakistan cricket and the way it can come out of this dark abyss that it has been pushed into. Looking forward to the upcoming season, Akmal said they have a very daunting test ahead of themselves, especially during the long English summer. And the main reason for that is the fact that they are under prepared for the test series due to lack of cricket at home. No foreign team has visited Pakistan in the aftermath of the attack on the Sri Lankan team in March 2009, thus leaving Pakistan at a disadvantage.
Controversies should not be created in the interest of the country as well as the game. This, according to a man who himself has been the centre of a much heated debate on match fixing. Former Coach Intikhab Alam and assistant coach Aaqib Javed have both hinted that Akmal was involved in match fixing in Australia. Kamran has been urging those people who have levelled allegations against him to come forward with solid evidence to prove his involvement, and just creating a hullabaloo for no reason will hurt the game. He is hoping the Pakistan Cricket Board will come to his rescue and help him in his time of need.
Talking about the Captaincy of Shahid Afridi during the Twenty 20 championship, Akmal was all praises for his Captain, saying very proudly that he had bought unity amongst the team members. He said that Afridi taking an aggressive approach egged all the players on to reach their true potential and give it their best shot. According to Akmal there were no camps within the team and the whole unit threw their weight behind their Captain Afridi.
In a true testament to his abilities, this prolific wicketkeeper has been an asset in all three forms of the game. Akmal has played forty eight tests, one hundred and fifteen ODI’S and thirty four Twenty 20 internationals. And even after representing Pakistan for so long, Akmal has never shown any keenness towards obtaining the position of the captain. He says he would rather give his full concentration towards building his performance and making his nation proud.
One of his finer talents is to learn from his past mistakes and grow as a player.
Akmal had a very disappointing season behind the stumps in Australia, but he bounced back in the World t20 championships to prove to the world that he was not down and out. He has to his credit 118 dismissals in the game. But he also maintains that critics are very quick to discuss at length a poor outing in the field, and feats are often forgotten in the background. But he takes criticism with a pinch of salt, and is always in the lurk to better himself through the learning of greats such as Wasim Bari and Zaheer Abbass.
Kamran idolises the Waugh brothers and it is his desire and him along with his brother Umar Akmal can one day emulate the greatness of the Australian brothers. If they play consistently, just like when they rescued Pakistan in the test match against New Zealand, this dream could soon turn into reality.
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