In a recent interview with PakPassion.net, Asim Kamal attempted to clarify this myth - "I do not believe that the 99 run knock in my first Test match hampered my chances of having a prolonged Test career in any way. In fact, those 99 runs were more famous than many hundreds would have been!"

by Nimra Ishtiaq

22 Januaray 2011

A left handed middle order batsman who exuded more grit than flamboyancy, Asim Kamal was termed as Test match specialist when he debuted for Pakistan against South Africa in 2003. Instead of becoming the tenth Pakistani to score a century on Test debut, he achieved a more eminent and perhaps undesired feat by getting out for 99 runs on Test debut, becoming only the third player to do so after Robert Christiani and Arthur Chipperfield. Blessed with an unflappable character and an uncomplicated technique, he impressed one and all with a remarkable display of reluctance and determination in his first test match. But a middle order already packed with experienced players meant that he was bound to spend some time on the sidelines before he could get a consistent run in the side.

However, the wait extended much longer than expected and accordingly, Kamal played no more than twelve Test matches, scoring 717 runs with the help of eight fifties at a considerable average of 37.73. He played only one Test match after his debut before getting dropped for the next Test series that was against New Zealand. Kamal's continuous omission from the team for no cogent reason has been one of the most mysterious occurrences in Pakistan cricket. Some believe that his fitness levels were not up to the mark whilst others including the former Pakistan opening batsman and skipper, Aamir Sohail blame the former captain, Inzamam-ul-Haq for ruining the career of a potential world class batsman. Another rather unorthodox view is that he would have had received a better treatment had he scored one more run on his Test debut. In a recent interview with PakPassion.net, Asim Kamal attempted to clarify this myth - "I do not believe that the 99 run knock in my first Test match hampered my chances of having a prolonged Test career in any way. In fact, those 99 runs were more famous than many hundreds would have been!"

As for the reason behind his not being able to cement his spot in Pakistan's Test side, Asim feels that it was a tough time to make an entry into the Pakistani team "You may consider it my fate that I emerged at a time when Pakistan had a very strong middle order. I had to compete with the likes of Inzamam, Younis and Yousuf which was a tough ask" he stated.

However, Kamal does feel that he was mistreated by the selectors to some extent.

"What irks me is that I was always in and out of the team in spite of performing well. This continued even after Inzamam bhai's retirement- a time when there was a vacancy in the middle order."

Asim Kamal made a successful come back to the team scoring a couple of well-composed fifties against India in 2004 in a series where Pakistan's seemingly strong batting line-up failed to meet the expectations. Despite scoring three fifties in five matches, he was dropped after failing against Sri Lanka at Faisalabad - a match where Kamal was moved from his preferred batting position in the lower middle order to the crucial one-down position as a replacement for Pakistan's regular number three batsman, Younis Khan who was unavailable for the match.

Two months and three matches later, he was recalled to the national team and consolidated his reputation as a fighter by scoring three fifties in three consecutive matches, including an 87 run knock against Australia at Sydney and 91 against India at Mohali.

"I not only performed well against the likes of Glenn McGrath and Shane Warne, but also created pressure on our own players who possibly saw me as a threat to their careers due to the ease with which I played at Test level."

Following two back to back fifties in the next Test series against West Indies in 2005, Asim bagged a duck in the second innings of the second Test match and was dropped for the next two matches of the Test series against England towards the end of 2005 before registering his third international come back in the last match of the same series. The Karachi batsman managed paltry 5 runs and was then forgotten for the next three years before finally earning a recall to the Test squad for the home series against Sri Lanka in 2009, but he was not lucky enough to break in to the playing eleven.

Speaking of his approach towards the longest version of the game, Kamal said "To me there is no pressure in Test cricket. I played at Test level without any fear or pressure. In fact, I found it easy to play Tests and in my view, I would have easily been one of Pakistan's top batsmen if I had been persisted with."

Asim Kamal will turn 35 in March this year but he believes age is not a hindrance and is hopeful of representing Pakistan in the international arena again - "I am making a concerted effort to make a comeback in Test cricket as I feel I have at least 5 more years of cricket left in me – this is my bread and butter! Inshallah I will be successful."

Unfortunately for him, it appears as though time is running out for the imperturbable left-hander. With the successful come backs of Misbah-ul- Haq and Younis Khan along with the emergence of promising youngsters such as Azhar Ali, Umar Akmal and Asad Shafiq, the chances for Asim Kamal's return to the national team any time soon are not too bright.