"A Good Opportunity for Kamran Akmal to Have a Rethink" - Salman Butt by PakPassion.Net

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Player:

Salman Butt

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DateLine: 6th August 2010

 

A day before the start of the 2nd Test between Pakistan and England at Edgbaston, Pakistan captain Salman Butt had plenty of things on his mind. The most surprising decision was to leave out vice-captain and wicketkeeper Kamran Akmal from the team that is to take the field tomorrow.

 

PakPassion.net caught up with Salman and asked him about the team's plans for Friday, the Mohammad Yousuf situation and his thoughts on the tragic flood disaster back home.

 

The axing of Kamran Akmal was a tough call to make, as Salman said "Yes it was a difficult decision, but sometimes it’s good to have a breather and go away when things are not happening for you. You can give yourself a bit of time off, and work on your game."

 

Salman went on to say "He (Akmal) should just have a rethink, and not have the pressure of the matchday situation every morning. He is somebody that we depend on in all formats of the game, and we don’t want him to get under too much pressure."

 

Akmal’s replacement, Zulqarnain Haider has the full backing of the skipper. "He’s a tall fellow for a skipper, and is a decent prospect. "Inshallah", he will do well tomorrow."

 

Another big decision that needed to be made was whether to go for Saeed Ajmal or Raza Hasan for the spinner’s role. Salman highlighted the reasons for the decision to go with Ajmal. "Being a member of the original 17 player squad, obviously he is the first choice. It is going to be a big game, and we want our experienced men to take the responsibility."

 

The decision to not select Yousuf for the 2nd Test was also an important decision, and Salman pointed out that it was the collective choice. "It’s a management decision, and a good, logical one that makes sense as well. He hasn’t had any practice in the last 15 days, due to the heavy monsoon rain, so there were not many practice areas available to him; he has had maybe just 2 or 3 knocks in indoor facilities. We wanted him to get acclimatized and give him some time to make sure he is fully ready for the next Test, and I’m sure he will be in top shape by then."

 

"We all know his record and his caliber, even at this stage he is better than most players, but I still think we should give him a fair chance to get himself ready." Considering the brittle nature of the Pakistan batting lineup on this tour so far, a fully fit and match ready Yousuf will be required now more than ever before.

 

A final, but most important talking point was the catastrophic situation back home, and it was heartening to hear that the team had plans to show their solidarity with their fellow countrymen, who are in so much strife. Salman said "We will make an announcement very shortly once we decide what our plan is as a team. Everybody here has been watching it on TV, and it’s a very sad situation. There are not many words we can say. We really want to gain a good victory over here and cheer up the people back home, and put a smile on their faces."

(Article: The opinions expressed in this article are those of the author only.
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