Pakistani cricketer Kamran Akmal has picked himself as the wicket-keeper in Pakistan’s all-time ODI XI. In a video posted by Cricket Pakistan on Youtube, Akmal justified his own selection by on the basis of his domestic and international record. The 37-year old cricketer picked himself ahead of the likes on Moin Khan, Rashid Latif and even current Pakistani captain Sarfaraz Ahmed. The selection was also surprising because the wicket-keeper was seen dropping many easy catches in the past and also faced a lot of bashing. The cricketer played his last ODI in April 2017 and since then is struggling to make a place in the Pakistan side.

In 157 ODIs, Akmal has registered 157 catches and 31 stumpings. Akmal's batting record is not overwhelming either as he has scored 3236 runs at an average of just over 26. Another selection that might raise many eyebrows was of his younger brother Umar Akmal. The veteran picked Umar to bat at number four in his all-time Pakistani ODI side ahead of Pakistani greats Inzamam-ul-Haq and Javed Miandad. The junior Akmal is also having a tough time on the field as he bagged two ducks in the recently concluded T20I series against Sri Lanka.

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The trend of picking the all-time XI is quite popular nowadays and many other cricketers have also presented the best XI according to them. However, a player picking himself in his favourite XI is a rarity and thus the Pakistani cricketer grabbed a lot of attention after naming his side. Kamran, who was once Pakistan’s first-choice wicket-keeper, is struggling to make a place in the national side. The emergence of current skipper Sarfaraz Ahmed is also a big reason behind Akmal’s ouster.

Kamran Akmal’s all-time Pakistani ODI XI: Saeed Anwar, Babar Azam, Mohammad Hafeez, Umar Akmal, Shoaib Malik, Shahid Afridi, Abdul Razzaq, Kamran Akmal (wk), Wasim Akram, Shoaib Akhtar, Saqlain Mushtaq

 

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Oct 18, 2019 09:15 AM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).