Adnan Akmal is the least well known of the trio of cricketing brothers, but yesterday it was Adnan's name that was "in the headlines" in the Gadaffi Stadium, as the Lahore Lions beat the Karachi Dolphins in the final of the Faysal Bank T20 tournament.

 by Saj Sadiq

17 October 2010

Adnan Akmal is the least well-known amongst the trio of cricketing Akmal brothers, but yesterday it was Adnan's name that was "in the headlines" in the Gaddafi Stadium, as the Lahore Lions beat the Karachi Dolphins in the final of the Faysal Bank T20 tournament.

Adnan was drafted in at the last minute by the Lahore Lions as a replacement for his unfit brother Kamran, and he ended the tournament by deservedly picking up the award for the Best Wicketkeeper after picking up nine catches in the entire tournament.

Adnan, speaking to PakPassion.net after the tremendous victory over the Shahid Afridi led Dolphins, stated that the thorough planning of the Lahore think tank was pivotal in the Lions coveted lifting the Faysal Bank Trophy.

"A lot of the credit has to go to Mohammad Yousuf and Abdul Razzaq. Throughout the tournament they never panicked and between them had situations under control. They were the senior members of the team and led the group as a unit, together with the coach Azmat Rana and the team manager Naushad Ali."

Having scored 221 for 3, the Lions were in the driving seat at the halfway point, but Akmal stated that the senior members of the team and coaching staff told the players to take nothing for granted, given the strength of the opposition batting lineup.

"To reach 221 was satisfactory, but we all knew the oposition had matchwinners throughout their team and we couldn't take anything for granted. The captain and coach told us all not to get under pressure, play our natural game and treat the game as if it was a group match and not to let ourselves get overawed by the occasion. Forget the pressure of the crowd and forget that it was a final were the words that we left the dressing room with."

Adnan dedicated his Best Wicketkeeper of the Tournament award to his elder brother Kamran, whom he said has helped him throughout his career. 

"Kamran and I have worked together on our wicketkeeping throughout our careers and he is always there for me for support and vice versa. There are always good and bad days as a wicketkeeper, and it's important that we are there for each other and to support one another. From a personal perspective I dedicate the victory to my brother Kamran."

The dew factor was expected to hinder the Lahore Lions bowling attack, but in a shrewd move, the Lions skipper Mohammad Yousuf did not ask his spinners to bowl in the final at all.

"We knew the dew was going to be there, but we planned accordingly. Of course it was a day/night match and we knew that bowling second the due could hinder our slow bowler(s). Our tactics were to bowl our medium pacers and quicks throughout, as bringing a spinner on would have been risky. The ball was skidding on and would not have spun in those conditions. We had an experienced lineup with Wahab Riaz, Shabbir Ahmed, Aizaz Cheema, Abdul Razzaq and Waqas Ahmed as the bowlers, and that experience throughout the team was crucial."

The Karachi Dolphins could only muster 184 all out in reply, however whilst their skipper Shahid Afridi was at the crease, Akmal felt that the game was still within the opponent's grasp. Akmal also stated that the tactics when bowling to Afridi were to try and bowl short to him, so that he could not drive the ball.

"Afridi's a very good hitter of the ball of his front foot and our plan was to try and restrict him from playing his favoured shots. The bowlers had been instructed to bowl short to him and to cramp him up for room, which they did most of the time."

Akmal added that selectors and officials from the LCCA that worked tirelessly behind the scenes on behalf of the Lahore Lions also deserve credit and praise for the success.

"The President of the Lahore Cricket Association Nadeem Chunni and selector Imran Bucha deserve a lot of praise for their efforts. They backed me and all of the players, and this success is also largely down to them." 

The Faysal Bank Cup tournament was a huge success for Pakistan cricket and it finally put smiles on fan's faces, after what has been an extremely unsavoury and difficult time for Pakistani cricket lovers. The tournament was well organised, the matches were played in front of packed houses, the atmosphere was tremendous and the cricket was extremely competitive.