Pakistan cricketer Kamran Akmal recalled the famous hundred against India at Karachi which turned the game for his team. India had started well by putting the host in deep trouble with 39/6 in the first innings.
Irfan Pathan had picked up a hat-trick in the first over of the match and it felt like Pakistan will not after such an early blow.
But despite everything going against Pakistan, the wicket-keeper batsman Akmal scored 113 to revive their innings. Pakistan not only fought back, but they also went on to win the match.
Kamran talked about the valuable advice from former captain Inzamam-ul-Haq in a chat with Sawera Pasha on her Youtube chat show Cric Cast.
“Honestly, I had nothing going through my mind when I was going down to the middle. I was new and I did not have that much pressure on me. Inzy bhai had a back injury and he was rested from that Test match. Irfan Pathan took a hat-trick in the first over and I was sitting with Inzy bhai in the dressing room. He kept shifting his positions thinking ‘what is going on’,” Akmal recalled.
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“So, Inzy bhai told me, ‘Kami, play like the way you played against India, and the way you played during your century in Australia. Just play your natural game. Whatever happens, it cannot go worse than this. It can only go better. Just play your natural game, and don’t take pressure’,” he added.
“When I reached out to the middle, I cut RP Singh’s delivery for a boundary through gully point, it motivated me. When it is 39/6, and you hit a shot like that, you automatically gain confidence. So, I just built small partnerships with the tailenders.
“Razzaq bhai scored 47-48 runs (Razzaq scored 45) with me. Then Shoaib bhai came, and he scored 49 runs (Akhtar scored 45). These partnerships helped us to cross 240. It was an unbelievable experience,” Akmal said.
“Even today when I think about it, we were 39/6 and we went on to win the Test. It was an unbelievable performance. And the way the bowlers responded, Asif, Shoaib bhai, Danish, and Razzaq - and then everyone scored runs in the 2nd innings. It was a great feeling. It was an innings I remember all my life. It felt great that we won the Test series in Pakistan,” the batsman added.
Pakistan scored 245 in the first innings and bowled India out on 238. In the second innings, the batting unit showed their strength and piled up a mountain of runs. They declared on 599/7 with a hundred for Faisal Iqbal. India was bowled out on 265 in reply.
