Kamran’s career not over: Mohsin

KARACHI: Pakistan on Wednesday told calamitous wicketkeeper Kamran Akmal to give an ‘outstanding’ performance on the domestic circuit if he wanted to win back a place in the national team.

The butter-fingered Kamran was on Wednesday dropped from Pakistan’s squad for the limited-overs series against West Indies following a spate of poor outings in the World Cup and speculations are rife that his international career might be over.

But Mohsin Hasan Khan, Pakistan’s chief selector, told ‘The News’ that he will take Kamran back with ‘open arms’ if the stumper managed to impress in domestic matches.

“We have decided to give him (Kamran) a break,” said Mohsin, a former Pakistan Test opener. “But now he will have to give an outstanding performance in domestic cricket to win his place back in the Pakistan team,” he stressed.

“Our domestic circuit is pretty easy as compared to international cricket but it’s still a good platform for players to prove their. If Kamran does that then we will welcome him back in the team with open arms.”

Mohsin rejected the impression that it was the end of the road for Kamran, who is regarded by many as the most unreliable wicketkeeper in international cricket.

“He is still 27 or 28 years old and can play international cricket for four or five more years.”

Mohsin delivered a similar message for veteran allrounder Abdul Razzaq, who was also dropped from the team because of his poor showing in the World Cup.

Razzaq has accepted the challenge. “I will continue the hard work to regain my place in the Pakistan team,” he told reporters on Wednesday.

Mohsin, meanwhile, said that by including several fresh faces in the national team for this month’s tour of the Caribbean, Pakistan have signaled the start of a rebuilding phase for the 2015 World Cup.

“There are four or five new boys in the team and that shows that we moving into a rebuilding phase. The idea is to try out maximum possible youngsters on the international stage. The idea is to select the players purely on merit to ensure that we make a good team even with youngsters,” he said.

After the tour of West Indies which will include one Twenty20 International, five One-day Internationals and two Tests, Pakistan will make a short trip to Ireland and will later tour Zimbabwe.

Mohsin said that Pakistan will inject new blood in the team for all the three assignments.

“We want to utilize these three assignments to try out a number of talented youngsters who are on the selectors’ radar,” said Mohsin. “We have a number of new and talented kids who have done well in domestic cricket and the idea of try them out international matches.”

Mohsin said that the experimentation will help the national selectors to raise a strong and balanced team for the 2012 ICC World Twenty20 Championship in Sri Lanka. “The Twenty20 championship is our next big assignment and we want to make it sure that Pakistan take the best possible team there.”