Akmal dropped Tendulkar on 70 in Mohali, failing to hang on to a thin snick and he then later let an edge from Dhoni get past him in the same match. His contribution with the bat in Mohali was just 19 from 21 deliveries when opening the innings and he was subsequently dropped by the selectors.

However as the Pakistan top order struggles for momentum and aggression in the early overs during the ongoing tour of Sri Lanka and with a Twenty20 World Cup around the corner, Akmal’s name is one that is likely to be brought up in upcoming selection committee meetings as someone who could provide the team with hitting power at the start of the innings.

Speaking with PakPassion.net from Lahore, Akmal spoke of his hopes that the selectors will offer him another chance to represent Pakistan after a gap of more than 15 months, his thoughts on the Pakistani batting displays so far in Sri Lanka and younger brother Umar Akmal’s recent international form.

“You don’t become a bad cricketer overnight, the fans need to be patient. The guys are trying their best in Sri Lanka and I’m sure they will do well in the rest of the series. There’s plenty of experience and talent out there for Pakistan, but sometimes the pressure of the situation leads to mistakes especially when a team is chasing. I don’t think Pakistan has a psychological problem with run chases, it’s more about coping with the pressure of chasing a target. Inzamam ul Haq was the perfect role model when it came to run chases in any format and I think the current team should take a leaf out of Inzamam’s approach, specifically targeting certain opposition bowlers and rotate the strike more than they are at the moment” stated Akmal.

Speaking of his own ambitions and looking ahead to the upcoming series of one day internationals and Twenty20 matches against Australia in the UAE and then the Twenty20 World Cup in Sri Lanka, Akmal feels that his aggressive approach and ability to hit over the top of the infield at the top of the order or indeed the middle order could provide the Pakistan team with an alternative option.

“I’m fit and ready and training hard at the National Cricket Academy with the NCA coaches. I’ve also been speaking with Inzamam ul Haq for advice and I feel that I can give the Pakistan team something different at the top of the order in the limited over formats. You need to have the ability to hit the ball through and over the infield in the early overs in 50 over and 20 over cricket and to unsettle the opposition gameplan. The rest is down to the selectors and if they feel that I am wanted in the team combination then I would love another chance to represent my country. The same applies to any cricketer out there who is not being selected - if the selectors feel they or I am worthy of selection then we will do our best” added Akmal.

Akmal also feels that experience in major tournaments such as the Twenty20 World Cup will play an important part in which team comes out as eventual winners in Sri Lanka and that the teams with experience on their side could hold an advantage.

“Experience is a key ingredient in my opinion particularly in major tournaments such as a World Cup and to throw in inexperienced youngsters in a high profile tournament is a risky strategy. I’ve played at the highest level and in major tournaments and I believe that my experience could be useful for Pakistan. Again it’s down to the selectors, but I’m hopeful” stated Akmal.

Akmal’s international appearances have seen him play as a wicket keeper batsman but he added that he would be more than happy to play as a batsman if the team combination required it and not to keep wicket if the selectors, coach and captain preferred that.

“At the end of the day it’s about the requirements of the team and not about what suits individual players. If the team combination requires me to play as a batsman and not to keep wicket, then I would be happy to that. There is no obligation that I have to keep wicket and believe me when I say I would even play as a bowler if they wanted me to! It’s about whatever the team needs from me and what the match situation requires. ”

Kamran’s younger brother Umar was dropped from the Test squad for the ongoing tour of Sri Lanka. Whilst he has shown potential and glimpses of his talent, it is a fact that he has on several occasions been unable to convert good starts into big scores. Kamran, though, is of the opinion that Umar has enough talent to warrant selection regardless of his few failures.

“I disagree that he’s in poor form. If a batsman fails in one or two innings that does not mean that he is suddenly a liability. Umar is one of the main players in the team and I’m confident that he will come good very soon. He just needs to bat according to the team plan and work with the coach and the captain and I am sure some big scores are just around the corner for him. Highs and lows are all part of cricket and Umar does not need to feel down or disappointed, he just needs to channel his mind to staying at the wicket and playing each ball on its merit.”