Speaking to PakPassion.net, Jamshed spoke of his strong ambition to play for Pakistan again and his satisfaction at his performances in the recently concluded Quaid E Azam Trophy.

by Saj Sadiq (24th December, 2011)

Having recently just turned 22, Nasir Jamshed already feels as if he is a seasoned veteran of the domestic circuit in Pakistan. He made his first class debut at the age of 15 in 2004.

A tall hard hitting left handed opening batsman Jamshed has always had the all round hitting game as well as the finesse and touch shots. Yet another product of the cricket mad city of Lahore, Jamshed has however found himself in the international wilderness since 2009.

His last innings for Pakistan was a score of 1, as Pakistan were soundly beaten by a Mahela Jayawardene inspired Sri Lanka in Dambulla and he has not been called up by the selectors ever since.

Speaking to PakPassion.net, Jamshed spoke of his strong ambition to play for Pakistan again and his satisfaction at his performances in the recently concluded Quaid E Azam Trophy.

"It feels like a distant dream that I played 12 one day internationals for Pakistan. Sometimes I wonder if it actually happened and literally have to pinch myself and check the scorecards to see my name there."

"My debut was a great day. Firstly being called up to the squad against Zimbabwe and then being named in the starting eleven was just brilliant. The icing on the cake was scoring 61 from only 48 deliveries including 6 fours and 3 sixes. It was a boyhood dream to play for my country and to achieve that at the age of 17 was just incredible."

"When I look at my statistics they are not too bad. I know I could have done better but four half centuries out of 12 innings and a strike rate of over 100 wasn't disastrous. A highest score of 74 and an average of over 35 is not terrible."

"I was inexperienced when I made my international debut and playing at that level you are tested thoroughly in all facets of the game. You learn from your mistakes and you improve with time. Who knows what may have happened if I had been given an extended run in the team" stated Jamshed.

He continued "However I prefer to look ahead and know that if given another opportunity by the selectors to play for Pakistan, I will not let them down. I feel that my best years as a cricketer are ahead of me and that I am a better batsman now than what was evident when I last played for Pakistan. Domestic cricket helps you nurture the talent, you learn constantly and I feel that I have matured a lot recently as a batsman."

Jamshed has been one half of the all action and very successful opening partnership for the Lahore Lions in the Faysal Bank Twenty20 tournaments. Batting with another international discard Ahmed Shehzad at the top of the order for the Lions, the pair have smashed a number of bowling attacks to all corners of the ground. However Jamshed refuses to be labelled just a Twenty20 player.

"I don't agree with the idea that I am just someone who comes in and tries to smash the ball around. In four day cricket this season for National Bank I have scored nearly 750 runs at an average of over 46 and played some long innings, so I think I have more to offer than just going for big shots."

The star studded National Bank Limited side flattered to deceive once again as PIA ran off as eventual winners of the Quaid E Azam Trophy and Jamshed expressed his disappointment at not at least reaching the Final that finished today in Karachi.

"Our team sheet looked very strong with so many players with international experience, but sadly things did not always go to plan. If our batting went well, then the bowlers didn't perform, and if the bowlers did a good job, then our batting would falter. It was very frustrating but I am sure we will come back stronger next season."

With the four day season now complete in Pakistan, some of the players who are not currently in the international reckoning are eyeing up the chance to play in the Bangladesh Premier League, the Bangladeshi version of the IPL.

A whole host of international cricketers are being linked to the BPL and Jamshed confirmed that he is likely to feature in the tournament that is due to start in the next week.

"Yes I am ready to take part in the Bangladeshi Premier League. It all seems like it's sorted now and I am really looking forward to playing in what should be an exciting tournament. I await final confirmation and all being well will be flying to Bangladesh on Sunday."