Intikhab says Sarfraz will play

da fezbet： Intikhab Alam has said there is “no doubt” Sarfraz Ahmed will play in Kamran Akmal’s place

Osman Samiuddin in Hobart12-Jan-2010

After days of confusion, Intikhab Alam has put an emphatic end tospeculation surrounding Pakistan’s wicketkeeping spot, saying that thereis “no doubt” Sarfraz Ahmed will play as the wicketkeeper in Kamran Akmal’s placein the third Test in Hobart starting on Thursday.Speculation has been rife and silly since the Sydney Test about Akmal andhis role in the Pakistan side. Reports emerged blaming his late-nightbabysitting for the four dropped catches at the SCG and there has beentalk of his younger brother Umar pulling out of the third Test with anallegedly feigned back injury in protest at the axing.The team was given a day off from practice today, but Umar and Sarfraztrained at the Bellerive Oval under the eyes of Intikhab and Aaqib Javed,the assistant coach. There will be a selection meeting the day before theTest begins but Intikhab indicated that if it comes to a vote with thefour-man selection committee (Mohammad Yousuf, Akmal, Intikhab and managerAbdur Raquib form the panel), Akmal will step aside.”Naturally he [Sarfraz] has been sent as a reinforcement,” Intikhab said.”Unfortunately Kamran had a bad game and he is a very goodwicketkeeper-batsman. It can happen to anyone but the fact of the matter isSarfraz has been sent here and we will give him a chance.”It has happened in the past [a vice-captain having a vote on his ownposition in the side]. We were in Sri Lanka, the vice-captain wasMisbah-ul-Haq and he wasn’t having a good time and we decided in themeeting, at times you have to take that tough decision and we’ll take thatdecision. And there is no doubt that Sarfraz will play.”We have a three-member committee but this time the manager will also sitin. We’re sure the right decision will be taken and he will have a vote aswell. I have already spoken to Kamran and I think he understands. Thesethings happen in cricket. I’m sure he’s good enough and he’ll come back.”Younger brother Umar had a longish net session, having sat out practiceyesterday and woken up this morning to stories about the stiff back being merelya ploy to protest at the treatment of Kamran. Intikhab said the back wasfine and talk of protest absolute rubbish.Watson lends support to Akmal

da betcris： Kamran Akmal has found unlikely backing in the opposition camp as he battles to keep his place in the Pakistan side ahead of the third Test in Hobart. Shane Watson, with whom Akmal played for the Rajasthan Royals in the inaugural IPL in 2008, has come out in support of the wicketkeeper.
“It’s very unfortunate, the media scrutiny on Kamran Akmal,” Watson said. “Considering I played with him in the IPL and he is a very lovely guy and a very talented player too. It’s unfortunate, but hopefully he will get another opportunity to show everyone how good he is.
“I hope he does play, because he is an extremely talented player and it would be nice to see him out there. I am sure he will put on a very good performance.”

“He is ok. He had a sore back. The last few days the guys have beenworking very, very hard, and so I gave them a day off today,” Intikhabsaid. “Umar didn’t practice yesterday, he was sent to hospital and hadx-rays done and the doctors said there is nothing wrong with him. He hashad one painkilling injection but that’s why I brought him here to makesure he is fit and raring to go.”It’s [the stories of his protest] all rubbish. At times I laugh when Iread such stories. He’s one of the emerging cricketers in world cricketand he is capable and has the ability to do that. He is ok.”Training cheerily alongside Umar was Sarfraz, who having played eight ODIsin 2008, finally finds himself on the verge of a Test debut, the first manother than Akmal to don Pakistan’s Test gloves since late 2004.”Of course the pressure is there for representing your country againstAustralia,” Sarfraz said. “But all the coaches, the manager and playershave really supported me and told me to take no pressure and treat it likeyou are playing a normal first-class match.”Sarfraz was part of the same Pakistan A tour to Australia as Umar inJune-July last year and had a similarly successful time, picking up 11victims and three fifties in the two ‘Tests’. And some advice had alreadycome his way on conditions here, he said, from the man he is set toreplace. “Kami supported me and said play your natural game. I arrived twodays ago and he said no pressure. He told me about the pitch here, alittle bounce and some break. He is a very good player no doubt andeveryone goes through a bad patch. I will give my 100% for our team.”