If there is anything that nobody should have a doubt about is that Kamran Ahmaq is not going to cut it…what should we do, bring back Rashid or Moin or give Zulqarnain Haider of U-19 fame a go…
In fact I think I am gonna go to Pak and have a go at the National team…Those of you in think this is my lame attempt at humor…Just to let you know I have kept against Franklyn Rose’s (ex Windies Test cricketer who destroyed the indians, Sachin et al in Kingston back in '98) balling in a pro match and have caught Robin Singh off of his bowling, diving to my left…
There is more to these unpridictable actions of the pak players. They have that same mental thing going on that happened in Aus. where Bob - The cr@p head - said they will work to overcome that. They think they are too weak. Kuttay kee Dumm kabhi seedhi nahi hoti, doesn't matter how much you try.
** Akmal not keen to be hand-in-glove with Malik the ’keeper… **
From Waheed Khan
MOHALI: Believe it or not but the Pakistan team management is now even working on the option of playing all-rounder Shoaib Malik as a wicketkeeper-batsman in the six match one-day series in India commencing from April 2.
In a fascinating development, Malik has been practicing with the ‘keepers gloves in the nets on a regular basis and the word is that coach Bob Woolmer is thinking about the possibility of playing Malik as batsman-keeper.
Not surprisingly, the regular wicketkeeper Kamran Akmal is not a very happy man because of this new development and is worried about his retention for the one-day series.
“Kamran is worried because he has been watching the coach encourage Malik to keep wickets which is an unusual development by any standards,” a team source said.
Malik is primarily a batsman and bowls off spin but since his action was reported to the International Cricket Council (ICC) last year in October, he has still not been cleared by the ICC to bowl again at this level.
“The coach and captain apparently have a lot of faith in Shoaib Malik. But it is difficult to adjust him into the team simply as a batsman. Which is why perhaps now they are looking at the option of also having him keep wickets in the one-day games,” the source said.
In recent times Woolmer also had batsman Younis Khan keep wickets in place of a regular ‘keeper and Younis has played in three One-day Internationals as ‘keeper batsman albeit with little success.
However, while the management might be mulling over playing Malik as a ‘keeper what is certain is that they are going to quite a few changes for the second Test in Kolkata starting from March 16.
The grapevine has it that opener Salman Butt, Younis Khan and Abdul Razzaq are the three players who are likely to be dropped.
" Shahid Afridi is certain to play in the second Test now, perhaps as an opener. Because the reports the management has got is that they need to play atleast two spinners in Kolkata."
I disagree, Shoaib Malik is a good batsman only on subcontinent pitches. His lack of foot movement kills him. Plus Shoaib Malik as a keeper would be a poor choice. A non-keeper cannot easily adapt to wicket keeping.
I’m not advocating Malik as keeper-batsman, they already tried Younis as keeper-batsman in Australia, I don’t know whats in Bob’s mind a keera or anaconda.
He doesnt have proper ‘technique’. According to some people, he doesnt cut it. But he is a fighter and has given a delciuos slap to all his critics. Way to go Kamran :k:
Cheguvera, hopefully you will stop with your idiotic Karachi-Punjabi posts, after performances from two ‘Pakistani players’ rather than Punjabi-Karachi player :). Such posts are not encouraged here on GS
I dont know how anybody could remove Akmal afte rhow he played today. Akmal can play in teh ODIs as long as he opens. He played brilliantly.
Shaoib Malik must be on teh ODI team somehow as well, he is the best #3 in Pakistan.
It goes to show that you were pulling for Akmal and gloating after his performance for the same reason you are deriding me…
Secondly if you believe there is’nt a general neglect and bias, either intentionally or otherwise of and against players from Karachi, where they have to be world class players just to make it to side, while many a sub-par and mediocre players from punjab are persisted with, then I am afraid you are delusional to the core…
And Oh yeah Akmal’s performance still does not change one fact in “my opinion”, Butt is still a BUTTerfingered fielder in the mold of Navjot Singh Sidhu and a pathetic excuse of an incompetent opener…
I can’t quite understand why everyone is criticizing Akmal’s keeping abilities. True that he had his bad moments, but then who doesn’t. He is a pure keeper, and is quite agile compared to anyone else in the squad. Just look at how well he kept when Kaneria bowled… with all that bounce and variable turn in Kaneria’s bowling, there was just one bye conceded – out of what… 76 overs or so… sheesh ppl.
