Prince
5th April 2005, 23:29
By Khalid Hussain
KARACHI: Former Pakistan skipper Moin Khan is still harvesting hopes of making a return to the national team even as rookie wicketkeeper Kamran Akmal continues to consolidate his place in the side on the ongoing tour of India.
"I’m fully fit and enjoying my cricket so there is no way I’m going to quit. In fact, personally I believe I can play for Pakistan till the 2007 World Cup," Moin told reporters here on Monday at the Quaid-e-Azam Park Ground.
Moin, 34, was replaced by Kamran Akmal during last year’s home series against Sri Lanka and has since been overlooked by national selectors for the tours of Australia and India.
While Moin and another veteran wicketkeeper Rashid Latif remain in international wilderness, Kamran has gradually made his bones as a reliable gloveman who can bat both in Tests and One-Day Internationals.
The general impression in the world of Pakistan cricket is that Kamran’s rise as a world-class keeper has closed all doors on the duo of Moin and Rashid for a return to international cricket.
But ask Moin and he’ll tell that all was not yet lost for him. "I’ve been dropped in the past so this is nothing new for me. I’ve been written off by the critics in the past so they don’t worry me much either," said Moin who cracked a blistering 109 off just 73 balls while playing for the PIA against Allied Bank in the Patron’s Cup National One-day Tournament at the Quaid-e-Azam Park Ground here the other day.
In fact, Moin has had a fine run of batting form at the domestic level in recent weeks and that is a big source of confidence for the aging player. Moin, who has featured in 69 Tests and 219 ODIs since making his international debut in 1990-91, last played for Pakistan in the opening Test of the home series against Sri Lanka.
Though fiercely competitive, Moin who spent the best part of his career slugging it out with Rashid Latif for a place in the national team, has some words of appreciation for his successor, Kamran Akmal.
"He (Kamran) is a talented player," said Moin who added that the youngster’s batting form seems to have taken a bit of a dip on the present tour of India. "But that, I believe, has to do a lot with the high-pressure atmosphere that is a part and parcel of a series against India," said Moin.
Moin said he would continue playing for his employers, PIA, at the domestic level and would be ready for national duty whenever needed.
KARACHI: Former Pakistan skipper Moin Khan is still harvesting hopes of making a return to the national team even as rookie wicketkeeper Kamran Akmal continues to consolidate his place in the side on the ongoing tour of India.
"I’m fully fit and enjoying my cricket so there is no way I’m going to quit. In fact, personally I believe I can play for Pakistan till the 2007 World Cup," Moin told reporters here on Monday at the Quaid-e-Azam Park Ground.
Moin, 34, was replaced by Kamran Akmal during last year’s home series against Sri Lanka and has since been overlooked by national selectors for the tours of Australia and India.
While Moin and another veteran wicketkeeper Rashid Latif remain in international wilderness, Kamran has gradually made his bones as a reliable gloveman who can bat both in Tests and One-Day Internationals.
The general impression in the world of Pakistan cricket is that Kamran’s rise as a world-class keeper has closed all doors on the duo of Moin and Rashid for a return to international cricket.
But ask Moin and he’ll tell that all was not yet lost for him. "I’ve been dropped in the past so this is nothing new for me. I’ve been written off by the critics in the past so they don’t worry me much either," said Moin who cracked a blistering 109 off just 73 balls while playing for the PIA against Allied Bank in the Patron’s Cup National One-day Tournament at the Quaid-e-Azam Park Ground here the other day.
In fact, Moin has had a fine run of batting form at the domestic level in recent weeks and that is a big source of confidence for the aging player. Moin, who has featured in 69 Tests and 219 ODIs since making his international debut in 1990-91, last played for Pakistan in the opening Test of the home series against Sri Lanka.
Though fiercely competitive, Moin who spent the best part of his career slugging it out with Rashid Latif for a place in the national team, has some words of appreciation for his successor, Kamran Akmal.
"He (Kamran) is a talented player," said Moin who added that the youngster’s batting form seems to have taken a bit of a dip on the present tour of India. "But that, I believe, has to do a lot with the high-pressure atmosphere that is a part and parcel of a series against India," said Moin.
Moin said he would continue playing for his employers, PIA, at the domestic level and would be ready for national duty whenever needed.