Kamran Akmal is a Pakistani cricketer who has saved Pakistan’s bacon on several occasions and single-handedly delivered victory. Akmal is a right-handed wicket-keeper batsman who was born in Lahore, Pakistan, on January 13, 1982.
Akmal, a powerful cut and pull shot player, has always been a formidable opponent, especially against India. Akmal’s versatility in batting positions made him a valuable member of the side. He could bat in the middle order and provide consistency as well as open the innings with a fast start.
Background
In his youth, Akmal used to play cricket with his teammates, all of whom went on to become professional cricketers. In 1996, Akmal was a member of the Pakistan Under-15 squad and participated in the Lombard Challenge Cup in England.
When he was 15, he stepped up to the Under-19 level and made his first-class debut for Lahore in 1997. He continued to develop with consistent performances, and in 1999, he was added to Pakistan’s A squad for a match against England.
In the 2001 first-class season, he scored 800 runs and caught the attention of the selectors.
Debut
In November 2002, Akmal made his international debut in a test match against Zimbabwe in Harare. In his first match, he scored a total of 38 runs. In his next test match, at Bulawayo, he scored his first Test fifty.
A week back, he made his One-Day International debut against Zimbabwe in Bulawayo, but he did not bat in the match. In his next match of the series, he scored 24 runs. In the five-match series, he scored a total of 95 runs.
Rise to Glory
With his crisp stroke play, Akmal was an attacking batsman who still batted at a healthy strike rate and unsettled the opposition’s bowling line-ups.
In January 2005, after his debut season, Akmal scored his first ODI century against West Indies in Brisbane in the third match of the VB Series. Pakistan won the match after he scored 124 runs off 125 balls while opening the batting.
After a string of bad performances, he rediscovered his form in 2005, scoring his second ODI century against England in Lahore, batting 102 runs off 111 balls. He followed that up with another century when opening the batting in the next match of the series.
He maintained his fine form in Test cricket, scoring a magnificent century in the second innings while batting at number eight in the first test match of the series against India at Mohali. He batted 154 times and made 109 runs.
In 2006, against India in Karachi, he once again played a defying inning to save Pakistan from turbulent waters, taking them from 35/6 to 245.
Stats
Akmal has played in 53 test matches, accumulating 2648 runs at an average of 30.79, including six hundreds and 12 fifties. As a wicketkeeper, he has also induced 206 dismissals. He has also appeared in 157 One-Day Internationals, accumulating 3236 runs at a strike rate of 26.09.
In 58 T20I matches, he has scored 987 runs at 21.00, including 5 fifties, and has effected 60 dismissals.