Re: Kamran Akmal set to return to Pakistan team soon
^^ All the examples you have given above are true but Kamran as a batsman might be better than the rest of the keepers around in Pakistan but you can not ignore the fact that we have suffered a lot due to his poor keeping skills. It's not like people are only complaining about the drop catches of Taylor in the world cup but he was having way too many bad days as a keeper. And as a batsman he might be better than the competition but he certainly is not good enough to turn things around every time he drops someone. What good is his batting if he drops a good batsman of the opposing team ? Keeper should first & foremost be reliable with the gloves and then his batting should come into question. If you are a crap keeper and a good batsman then perhaps try to break into the team as a batsman instead of as a keeper/batsman.
Keep looking until you find someone in the domestic circuit. Or better yet select a few potentially solid young keepers, and groom their batting for the next six or so months. Day in, day out. As long as they become viable options. Teaching a keeper to properly bat should not be that hard. At least, not as hard as turning a batsman into a makeshift keeper, or working on a fast bowler.
It’s not like our batting is particularly strong anyway, and besides, Kamran Akmal isn’t Adam Gilchrist. Much better to wait a bit more for clean water than drink poison. It’s not like we’ll die, eh? If five or six batsmen fail, the seventh might as well. The seventh being the keeper. Our bowling isn’t our strength either. It isn’t now. 2-3 years back, yes. Now its just a stronger part of our team, the only strong part of our team.
But like most things in Pakistan cricket, we’ve got our priorities mixed up here too. Big reason why we got cooked in the England one days, and even against India.