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LAHORE: Wicketkeeper-batsman Kamran Akmal expressed his disappointment at missing the first ICC event in eight years after he was omitted from the 15-member squad for the World Cup which was announced on Wednesday.
Kamran, who scored more than 900 runs and held 42 catches in the 2014-2015 Quaid-i-Azam Trophy, previously represented Pakistan in the 2007 and 2011 World Cups as well as the World Twenty20 tournaments in 2007, 2009, 2010, 2012 and 2014 respectively.
Dejected though he was, Kamran said the snub fired him up to keep performing consistently.
“It’s a sad moment for me that I’m no more part of the World Cup squad after representing Pakistan for such a long period,” a dejected Kamran told Dawn from Karachi.
“However, it isn’t the end of the world for me and I’ll make all out efforts to regain my place in the national team by giving consistent performances in the domestic circuit.
“I wish Pakistan team best of luck at the World Cup,” added the 32-year-old who was also in Pakistan’s squad for the ICC Champions Trophy in 2006, 2009 and 2013.
Like Kamran, another experienced player Shoaib Malik was excluded from the travelling party to Australia and New Zealand for the World Cup. Malik wasn’t selected for the last edition of the World Cup but has been a regular part of Pakistan’s Twenty20 squad.
This time, though, the PCB was facing criticism from several quarters at preferring the duo to other more deserving players for ICC events.
Kamran was happy at the selection of his brother Umar Akmal and vowed to raise his performance to a new level to return to the national team.
“This year I scored more than 900 runs but now I’d try to get 1800 runs in the next edition of the Quaid Trophy to win back my place in the team,” he said.
Kamran was the second-highest run-getter in the Quaid Trophy, only behind SNGPL’s Naeemuddin who made 1045 runs. Naeem, though, wasn’t given any chance by the selectors in any ‘A’ team or national team matches in the past year.
Published in Dawn, January 8th, 2015
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