Uncapped wicketkeeper Mohammad Salman, who has replaced Pakistan’s struggling wicketkeeper Kamran Akmal in the side, has stressed that he is all set to take on the pressure of playing international cricket.
The 29-year old wants to justify his selection in the team by giving a commendable performance behind the stumps.
Speaking to media, Salman said, “I don’t believe on setting up a long-term goal. My immediate objective is to justify my limited-overs cricket selection. I understand the timing of my selection and I’m extremely privileged to be given the important responsibility.”
Hoping to raise the standards of wicketkeeping, Salman insisted that he would try his level best to give a commendable performance behind the stumps. He acknowledged the growing importance of the dual role of wicketkeepers all over the cricketing world where they are not just expected to perform behind the stumps but also help the team post runs on the board.
“Cricket has changed, especially with the popularity of the Twenty20 format. A wicket-keeper is not only supposed to be sound behind the stumps but also needs to play a huge role with his batting abilities,” he said.
The cricket world has seen some great wicketkeeper batsmen in the last decade such as Australia’s Adam Gilchrist, Sri Lanka’s Kumar Sangakkara and India’s Mahendra Singh Dhoni who are very good batsmen and are also superb behind the stumps.
Keeping this in mind Salman who is a graduate in economics enhanced his batting skills which impressed the selectors to pick him for the national squad.
In the domestic 2011 season, he has dismissed 30 batsmen in 11 matches. He also scored three centuries in the season which proves that he is a talented batsman who can come in handy for the national team.
Salman’s selection in the team became possible after Kamran Akmal gave a dejected performance in the recently concluded ICC World Cup 2011, where he missed a number of catches and failed to stump batsmen almost on a regular basis.
His poor form cost Pakistan dearly especially in the group match against New Zealand where Akmal dropped Ross Taylor twice in the same over of speedster Shoaib Akhtar.
Taylor later went on to score 131 runs allowing New Zealand to pile a mammoth total of 302 runs against Pakistan. That was the only match in the group stages which the Men in Green lost.
After this disastrous performance behind the stumps, many called for immediate sacking of Akmal from the remaining matches of the mega event. However, the team management did not deem it appropriate to play the rest of the tournament without a specialist wicketkeeper. Pakistan went on to play the semi-final where they were defeated by archrivals India that ended the Men in Green’s campaign.
It is now obvious that Akmal will not have any role in Pakistan cricket in the near future. Even chairman Pakistan Cricket Board Ijaz Butt has said that Akmal should either announce retirement or impress selectors to get his place back in the national team.
The 29-year old wants to justify his selection in the team by giving a commendable performance behind the stumps.
Speaking to media, Salman said, “I don’t believe on setting up a long-term goal. My immediate objective is to justify my limited-overs cricket selection. I understand the timing of my selection and I’m extremely privileged to be given the important responsibility.”
Hoping to raise the standards of wicketkeeping, Salman insisted that he would try his level best to give a commendable performance behind the stumps. He acknowledged the growing importance of the dual role of wicketkeepers all over the cricketing world where they are not just expected to perform behind the stumps but also help the team post runs on the board.
“Cricket has changed, especially with the popularity of the Twenty20 format. A wicket-keeper is not only supposed to be sound behind the stumps but also needs to play a huge role with his batting abilities,” he said.
The cricket world has seen some great wicketkeeper batsmen in the last decade such as Australia’s Adam Gilchrist, Sri Lanka’s Kumar Sangakkara and India’s Mahendra Singh Dhoni who are very good batsmen and are also superb behind the stumps.
Keeping this in mind Salman who is a graduate in economics enhanced his batting skills which impressed the selectors to pick him for the national squad.
In the domestic 2011 season, he has dismissed 30 batsmen in 11 matches. He also scored three centuries in the season which proves that he is a talented batsman who can come in handy for the national team.
Salman’s selection in the team became possible after Kamran Akmal gave a dejected performance in the recently concluded ICC World Cup 2011, where he missed a number of catches and failed to stump batsmen almost on a regular basis.
His poor form cost Pakistan dearly especially in the group match against New Zealand where Akmal dropped Ross Taylor twice in the same over of speedster Shoaib Akhtar.
Taylor later went on to score 131 runs allowing New Zealand to pile a mammoth total of 302 runs against Pakistan. That was the only match in the group stages which the Men in Green lost.
After this disastrous performance behind the stumps, many called for immediate sacking of Akmal from the remaining matches of the mega event. However, the team management did not deem it appropriate to play the rest of the tournament without a specialist wicketkeeper. Pakistan went on to play the semi-final where they were defeated by archrivals India that ended the Men in Green’s campaign.
It is now obvious that Akmal will not have any role in Pakistan cricket in the near future. Even chairman Pakistan Cricket Board Ijaz Butt has said that Akmal should either announce retirement or impress selectors to get his place back in the national team.
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