Speaking to PakPassion.net, Alam spoke of his desire to resurrect his international career and how he wanted to utilise the Quaid E Azam Trophy competition as a stepping stone towards that goal.

By Saj Sadiq (October 20, 2011)

As Pakistani take on Sri Lanka in the ongoing test series in the United Arab Emirates, 26 year old Fawad Alam will, instead, be lining up for National Bank in the Quaid E Azam Trophy.

There is little doubt that the left hander would much rather face Herath and company in Abu Dhabi, instead of the daily grind of domestic cricket in Pakistan. However, given his current predicament, Alam is quite happy to play in the domestic circuit as it presents his only viable hope of reclaiming a spot in the national squad.

Alam's selection, non selection, re-selection and then subsequent non selection is the subject of endless debate amongst Pakistani cricket lovers. He is undoubtedly a cricketer who divides opinions.

The last of Fawad's 54 appearances for Pakistan was a Twenty20 international in New Zealand last December when he scored nine off eleven deliveries and made 168 on test debut against Sri Lanka in Colombo.

Speaking to PakPassion.net, Alam spoke of his desire to resurrect his international career and how he wanted to utilise the Quaid E Azam Trophy competition as a stepping stone towards that goal.

"Playing for your country is the pinnacle for any cricketer. Whatever it takes, whatever I have to do I will do to get back into the Pakistan team."

"I'm 26 years old and I feel that I am an experienced cricketer and someone who has played several hundred first class matches now, in various conditions and against a variety of opposition. Cricket is such a wonderful sport that no matter how much you play, you are always learning. I feel that this time away from the international scene is an ideal time for me to improve my all round game. I'm addressing issues such as my temperament in domestic cricket. "

Batting in the National Bank Limited middle order, Alam has already made impressive scores of 51 and 142 respectively this season and he hopes that his current non selection in Pakistani colours is a temporary setback.

"Everything happens for a reason and while I am at the moment looking at international cricket from outside rather than within, I have full faith in my ability and I am a resilient character who can bounce back as a better international cricketer in future. I must re-emphasise though that it's imperative that I use this time away from international cricket to work on my game and improve my all round game."

"Performance and scoring runs in large amounts is the key. It's simple, if I don't perform in domestic cricket then I won't receive a recall and that is why I have my heart set on scoring plenty of runs in the Quaid E Azam Trophy. I scored heavily in last season's Pentangular Trophy and I want to continue that form in this season's domestic cricket competitions also. I need to catch the eye of the selectors and hopefully be given another chance."