PakPassion.net caught up with Asim Kamal for his views on the recently concluded Faysal Bank T20 competition.

By Nasser Khan (October 5, 2011)

Asim Kamal will be remembered by Pakistan fans as the patient left-hander who placed a significant price on his wicket. His simple approach to batting is one that brought success in his very first test match in 2003, where he missed out on a century by just one run. He went on to play twelve Test matches for Pakistan and despite scoring eight fifties in twenty innings over the following two years, Kamal was dropped in 2005 and hasn't represented Pakistan since.

PakPassion.net caught up with Asim Kamal as he completed his debut commentary stint during the recently concluded Faysal Bank T20 competition, held in his home city of Karachi. “I enjoyed my first stint as commentator,” he stated positively.

Given his attendance at the Karachi National Stadium during matches in his capacity as commentator, as well as having played a significant proportion of his career at the ground, he was in good position to provide first-hand experiences of the just-concluded tournament. Kamal was quick to emphasise the importance of any high-profile cricket being played in Pakistan “it [organisation of the tournament] was very good. People criticize the board for many things but it really doesn’t matter. Cricket in any form is welcome in Karachi. It's good for Karachi.” The ever-resilient people of Karachi have been suffering from a plethora of problems of late, and it was heartening to see significant attendances in the semi-finals and final as the competition passed off without a hitch.

A point that is also often forgotten in the final assessment of the Faysal Bank T20 competition was the logistical burden of shifting venues from Lahore to Karachi. Such changes can be a nightmare for groundsmen, in whose hands lies the meticulous preparation of suitable pitches and all-important contests between bat and ball. “The track was good and so were the facilities. Kudos to the organisers for arranging this at such a short notice, as they had to move the tournament from Lahore to Karachi due to the outbreak of dengue fever.”

Discussing the players who caught Kamal's eye during the competition, he identified three individuals “obviously you only see players who make an impact in twenty overs, but based on what I saw, Awais Zia, Hammad Azam, Raza Hasan all performed really well and these were the stars of the tournament.” Two of the players named represented the Rawalpindi Rams and the third, Raza Hasan, also played for the Rams in the T20 tournament organised earlier this year, which was won by the Rawalpindi outfit.

There have been calls from fans and pundits alike for Hammad Azam to be promoted up the batting order given his scintillating performances, but Kamal was philosophical, “look, we all want to fast-track promising youngsters but the correct way to do this is to help them mature first before putting them into critical positions”. Perhaps Kamal, himself a batsman who made his debut at the age of 27, late by Pakistani standards, is in the best position to judge.

What did Kamal make of the blistering starts Awais Zia provided to the beaten finalists? “It is true that in T20, where you need to do 'calculated hitting' or play attacking shots, Awais is fine. However, good technique is important as it can work with all forms of cricket. As you can see with England now, they are all technically good players and they are dominating world cricket."

Kamal added, “in addition, Shafique Khan from Hyderabad was also another good attacking opener, but I will stress that technique is more important.”

What of future fast bowling prospects? “I would mention Peshawar bowlers Nasir Ahmed and Nauman Habib, as they are wicket takers, which is important in T20 cricket.”

As for his own immediate future, the ever optimistic and hard-working Asim Kamal had this to say “Inshallah, I will be playing this season and am determined to make a comeback! I intend to be playing with Karachi or Abbotabad in the QEA Trophy from the 6th October.”

A hard-working cricketer, PakPassion wishes him all the best in his future endeavours, whether as player or commentator.