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Originally Posted by Milo Oh, and I can only agree. Drop the keeper - he's useless. |
It is true that Kamran struggled behind the wickets in this test, especially on day 3, but the fact that he probably got no sleep the night earlier having heard the news of his father having been severely injured through a shot fired at him from some burglars probably had a big bearing on how he kept. It is to his credit that he came out to field at all that morning. I don't suspect if God forbid something of that sort had happened to any of us we would have made to work the next day, or even if we did, we'd be probably be superhuman to have not lost some of our focus.
It is also true however that Kamran has struggled with his confidence and hence his form behind the stumps since the England tour (where his poor performance was almost completely down to him not being 100% fit and still playing because we had no reserve keeper in the squad). Though with our openers and at least one other batting spot in the team being unreliable, we cannot afford to play a keeper that cannot bat. Zulqarnain Haider, the reserve keeper in our squad, is not known as a rabbit with the bat, but I do not think, going into a deciding test match of an important away series, is the time to give a young man like him a debut. Perhaps we can give him a match or two in the One-Day series, but I would not support dropping him from the test side.
I'm not sure either that I agree with the assertion that he is a "useless" keeper. How he has kept off late is very poor representation of how well he can keep when he is fully mentally and physically fit. Kamran for once is miles better then some one like Jones. And can also bat one hell of lot better then the supposedly unflappable Read. Kamran Akmal is more then competent tent behind the gloves IMO, and what he needs now is some prolonged time in the nets, and some confidence. The innings with the bat will no doubt help that cause. And the response from the Pakistani dressing room when he reached his 50 would also suggest that unlike some of his fair weather fans most of the team is behind him. I don't suppose though that many people will let go off this opportuntiy to slack him off, it is more convinient after all in such circumstances to forgot how many times he's saved us from impossible situations and that how we might have lost this test too if you took out the catches that he did take and the runs he made, and more flashionable to kick a man when he's down. I hope he silences his critics in the next test.
22-01-2007, 03:53 PM
in reply to Notts Exile's post starting "This South African summer is proving..." 
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