HOBART: Pakistan coach Intikhab Alam on Tuesday gave his charges a day off ahead of their third and final Test against Australia but opted to take two youngsters — who have been at the centre of most attention over the last few days — for a special practice session here at the Bellerive Oval.
It was apparent that Intikhab wanted to prove a point when he decided to supervise an extended training session involving just Umar Akmal and Sarfraz Ahmed when the rest of the Pakistani players were given an opportunity to spend a day away from the cricket.
Umar, the young batting sensation, has made a lot of news in recent times by getting ‘injured’ just a day after it was announced that his elder brother Kamran Akmal has been axed for the third Test after a horrific display behind the stumps during the second Test in Sydney last week.
Well-placed sources in the Pakistan team had said that Umar’s announcement that he has sustained a back injury could have been to protest against his brother’s axing from the Test squad.
However, Intikhab told ‘The News’ here on Tuesday Umar is fully fit now and will be playing in the third Test getting underway from Thursday (tomorrow).“Umar has had a minor problem with his back but he is okay now,” said the coach. “He had a net session today and is fully fit to play in the Test,” he added.
Sarfraz, too, has been in the news after he was rushed to Australia by the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) after Pakistan lost the second Test by 36 runs even though they were in a commanding position because of a 206-run first innings lead.
However, Kamran dropped three catches, allowing Australia to make a stunning comeback in the match.Sarfraz was sent to Australia as Kamran’s replacement and the PCB had announced that he would participate in the Hobart Test. But Kamran ignited a major controversy when he announced that he will continue to keep wickets for Pakistan, saying that he had the support of his teammates and team management.
But Intikhab played down the issue stressing that a little misunderstanding led to a lot of speculative stories in the media.“It was not a big issue,” he said. “Sarfraz was sent from Pakistan as a replacement player and he will be our wicketkeeper in Hobart, there was never any doubt about that.”
When asked about Kamran’s reaction, Intikhab said that the team management has had a chat with the vice-captain and the issue has been resolved. “We have had a discussion with him (Kamran) and he understands what’s expected of him. We have convinced him that the decision has been taken in the team’s interest.”
Inikhab, a former Pakistan captain, stressed that the atmosphere in the team’s dressing room is fine and his boys were focussed on winning the third Test.
“All the stories of confusion and discord in our team are baseless,” he said. “We may have lost the last two Tests but we haven’t lost our will to play good cricket. I’m sure that my boys will go all out to win the Hobart Test.”
It was apparent that Intikhab wanted to prove a point when he decided to supervise an extended training session involving just Umar Akmal and Sarfraz Ahmed when the rest of the Pakistani players were given an opportunity to spend a day away from the cricket.
Umar, the young batting sensation, has made a lot of news in recent times by getting ‘injured’ just a day after it was announced that his elder brother Kamran Akmal has been axed for the third Test after a horrific display behind the stumps during the second Test in Sydney last week.
Well-placed sources in the Pakistan team had said that Umar’s announcement that he has sustained a back injury could have been to protest against his brother’s axing from the Test squad.
However, Intikhab told ‘The News’ here on Tuesday Umar is fully fit now and will be playing in the third Test getting underway from Thursday (tomorrow).“Umar has had a minor problem with his back but he is okay now,” said the coach. “He had a net session today and is fully fit to play in the Test,” he added.
Sarfraz, too, has been in the news after he was rushed to Australia by the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) after Pakistan lost the second Test by 36 runs even though they were in a commanding position because of a 206-run first innings lead.
However, Kamran dropped three catches, allowing Australia to make a stunning comeback in the match.Sarfraz was sent to Australia as Kamran’s replacement and the PCB had announced that he would participate in the Hobart Test. But Kamran ignited a major controversy when he announced that he will continue to keep wickets for Pakistan, saying that he had the support of his teammates and team management.
But Intikhab played down the issue stressing that a little misunderstanding led to a lot of speculative stories in the media.“It was not a big issue,” he said. “Sarfraz was sent from Pakistan as a replacement player and he will be our wicketkeeper in Hobart, there was never any doubt about that.”
When asked about Kamran’s reaction, Intikhab said that the team management has had a chat with the vice-captain and the issue has been resolved. “We have had a discussion with him (Kamran) and he understands what’s expected of him. We have convinced him that the decision has been taken in the team’s interest.”
Inikhab, a former Pakistan captain, stressed that the atmosphere in the team’s dressing room is fine and his boys were focussed on winning the third Test.
“All the stories of confusion and discord in our team are baseless,” he said. “We may have lost the last two Tests but we haven’t lost our will to play good cricket. I’m sure that my boys will go all out to win the Hobart Test.”
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