“Determined to play for Pak even if it’s purely as a batsman”, says keeper Akmal

ISLAMABAD - Pakistan wicketkeeper-batsman Kamran Akmal, who found himself out of favour during the recently concluded home series against South Africa, has said that he is “more determined than ever” to reclaim his place in the national squad, and that he is even ready to trade his gloves for a batsman spot.

“Being dropped is not an easy thing to take, but I took it on the chin and decided that I would use my dropping from the team as a motivational tool,” PakPassion.net quoted Akmal, as saying.

He admitted that his omission from the team was “up to the Board and selectors,” and was out of his control, but added that he was ready to play even “purely as a batsman” if given a chance.

“I’ve never compromised on my determination and hard work to be Pakistan’s number one wicketkeeper/batsman and that will always be the case. I am more determined than ever to reclaim my place in the Pakistan side and whether that is as a keeper-batsman or purely as a batsman; that is down to the selectors and team management. I am comfortable if the selectors and management want me to play purely as a batsman,” he said.

Akmal, who exhibited superb form in the Quaid-e-Azam Trophy and recently smashed 78, 60, 268 and 103 respectively, amassing 530 runs at an average of 75.71, explained that he had not made any major changes to his approach, rather tweaked a few minor things with his coaches.

“I’ve addressed some of the basics, especially those things that went wrong for me in England. I’ve watched a lot of the videos and we’ve analysed some of the errors. I’ve been working hard with the National Bank coaches including Mohammad Jamil, who has been very helpful,” he said, adding, “Ijaz Ahmed and Waqar Younis have also been of great help with words of advice and guidance. It’s just as frustrating for me as it is for the fans and teammates when I make a mistake.”

Mohsin Khan and his selection committee are due to meet soon to decide the squads for the tour of New Zealand as well as the preliminary 30-member squad for the World Cup, and given Akmal’s recent form, he seems to be a definite choice for both.

“When I wasn’t chosen for the series versus South Africa, I decided that I would look to regain my form and confidence in domestic cricket. I’m really pleased with how it’s gone. I’ve enjoyed my cricket, I’ve managed to score plenty of runs and I have been happy with my form behind the stumps. It’s gone really well and now it’s down to others to decide whether I’ve done enough to warrant re-selection,” said Akmal. (ANI)