Veteran Pakistan batsman – Kamran Akmal firmly believes that he still has three to four years of cricket left in him, and once he realizes “I'm not performing” will say goodbye.
Kamran told ESPNcricinfo, “My fitness and form do allow me to play cricket for the next three to four years. And when I see that I am not performing I will leave silently. No one will have to force me to. I have had a respectful career and would want to retire with the same respect.”
He continued, “It is my passion to play cricket. Cricket is my life. I learn every day about cricket. I try to learn as much as possible from my seniors. I try to focus on what is right in front of me and plan match by match. If I think too much about an upcoming event or series, it affects my current performance.”
In the recently concluded third edition of the Pakistan Super League (PSL) 2018, which won by the Islamabad United, Kamran was outstanding, hitting two century for Karachi Kings.
But his quick-fire 77 off 27 balls knock –in this process, he scored the fastest fifty of the PSL 2018 off just 17 deliveries, caught everyone’s attention. The right-hander said on this knock, “Fortunately, I played a good knock at the right time. It was almost like a semi-final for us. It was a do-or-die match. Things went our way and the credit goes to the entire team and the management.”
The 36-year-old made his comeback with the West Indies tour following his stunning show in the PSL 2017, but later he was dropped from the side, and he said, “You need to go through a lot of struggle in order to make comebacks. The last comeback I made was after three years. I keep on trying. Every cricketer wants to play for his national side.”
Kamran signed off by saying, “I was hurt when I was dropped after the West Indies series. I was the second highest scorer in T20s, after Babar [Azam]. I wasn’t picked, everyone was still there. So, these things hurt me, but I also take them as motivation. All focus is directed towards cricket and nothing else. I only know how to deliver in the ground.”
