Akmal hopeful of regaining form with bat

Published>Wed, Aug 25 10 07:17 PM

London, Aug 25 (IANS) Pakistan's embattled wicketkeeper Kamran Akmal is hoping to regain his batting form after getting help from teammate Mohammad Yousuf ahead of the final Test against England at Lord's Thursday.

Akmal scored just 10 in his first outing at The Oval and then fell for a duck in the second innings as Pakistan faced some anxious moments before reaching a four-wicket triumph.

Akmal, 28, is now getting help from senior batsman Yousuf and Ijaz Ahmed, the team's batting coach.

'There have been some technical issues with both bat and the gloves. I have been looking at the batting issues with Ijaz Ahmed and more recently with Mohammad Yousuf,' said Akmal, who has scored just 84 runs in the four Tests he has played during the current tour at a poor average of 10.4.

Zulqarnain Haider, the young wicketkeeper, who replaced Akmal for the second Test in Birmingham, scored more (88) in one innings.

Akmal, who has scored 2,634 runs from 52 Tests at 31.35, has got three ducks in his last four innings. But the Lahore-born player hoped that he would strike form at Lord's just like Alastair Cook, the England opener, did at The Oval where he scored a hundred.

'All players suffer a bad spell in their career with the bat. Take a look at Alastair Cook who has been struggling with the bat of late, but he has bounced back with a century at the Oval. I will look at the way he has fought back with the bat as an inspiration and hope that I can do the same at Lords,' Akmal said.

Akmal said missing the Edgbaston Test turned out to be a blessing in disguise for him.

'Missing the match at Edgbaston gave me the opportunity to assess my game and it was the perfect time for some reflection. Alec Stewart provided me with some tips on my wicketkeeping and I have been implementing Alec's ideas and thoughts.

'In addition to Alec Stewart's help, Paul Farbrace and Wasim Bari have also provided me with some advice and guidance on a couple of technical issues. I've taken on board all of the advice that has been given to me and it definitely paid dividends at the Oval,' he told pakpassion.net.

Akmal, 28, said Mohammad Yousuf's return has made a world of a difference for Pakistan.

'Yousuf's introduction to the squad has made a huge difference to everyone's morale and belief. He's such an experienced campaigner and his calmness really rubs off on the rest of us. Amir is in great form and Wahab Riaz bowled very well on debut. We'll give it our best shot at Lords and I hope that we can level the series.'

Akmal also praised skipper Salman Butt's leadership skills.

'Salman is doing a good job. He came into the job under difficult circumstances, but has really done a good job. He's very approachable and is getting the best out of the boys. He's only a young guy, but he's leading the team very well against good opposition.'

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