Published: Feb 13, 2017, 11:39 PM (IST)
Edited: Feb 13, 2017, 11:39 PM (IST)
It has been five-and-half years since Umar Akmal played a Test. He is only 26 though and a long career awaits him. In 2009, at the age of 19, Akmal’s Test career got off to a kick start at Dunedin. His brisk 129 and a patient 75 almost won Pakistan the Test. He got his first Test hundred in alien conditions but there were none after that. However, the Pakistani batsman hopes that he will make a comeback in the near future as he believes his style of play is more suited in the longer format.
“I still wonder what I did wrong and where I went wrong to be dropped from Test side. They only dropped me saying that I am not suitable for Test cricket because I don’t hold back, which is required in Tests,” Akmal told ESPNCricinfo from the sidelines of PSL in Dubai.
Akmal strongly believes that with teams scoring 350 runs in a day, Test cricket suits his brand. The Lahore Qalandars batsman further lamented. “I was playing the very same brand of cricket, which was actually evolving at that time, but I was dropped because I play fast and not the conventional way. Was that my mistake? If so, then the whole world has now adapted this modern form of cricket in Tests as well.”
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From 16 Tests, Akmal has 1,003 runs at 35.82 but his strike rate is touching an impressive 66. His overtly aggressive shot selection brought him down in the longer format. Akmal preferred batting in the top order but he feels he had play the aggressor’s role as he batted down the order. Akmal says he is “not careless” and just plays his “natural game”.
“People often compare me with other batsmen but why don’t people realise that the number I bat at is critical and there is the burden of extra responsibility,” he added.
In January, Akmal played the ODI series in Australia that marked his comeback to the 50-over format after a gap of almost 2 years. He was dropped from the side after the World Cup 2015.
Not unfit
Akmal also dismissed the notions related to his fitness. According to the report, in one of the fitness assessment, the Pakistani batsman weighed 91 kgs with his fat-level reading 115.6
“If you talk with different players around the world, some are slightly bulky and some are smart in physique, but that doesn’t mean weight defines their actual fitness. I don’t remember going off the field in a game, or conceding a second run. I am energetic in the field and my running between the wickets is fine as well,” he clarified.
He further went on to add that he does not believe in being “theoretically fit’ and has a natural body which helps him derive strength. He said, “I have a natural body and if I try to reduce it I may lose my strength for power hitting.”
