Sami desires to fill allrounder’s slot

Speedster Mohammad Sami has said that he desires to play as an allrounder for Pakistan after selectors stopped considering him for the pacers slot.

Sami has performed outstandingly with both bat and bowl throughout the tournaments played over the past 12 months. But his exploits have gone unnoticed, disappointingly. His allround performance in the recently concluded Quaid-e-Azam was by far the best.

He nudged up 579 runs with an average of 32.16 in 11 matches and also took 39 wickets. “My performances are in front of everybody and I am ready to play as an allrounder if the selectors think that I do not qualify as a pacer,” Sami said, while talking to ‘The News’ on Sunday. “The selection committee has been overlooking me. If I lack some skill they should tell me. But snubbing me for no reason is really annoying. Anyone can compare my performances with others who have been tried as allrounders to replace Abdul Razzaq.

Nobody has succeeded until now so I am ready to put my hand up and I have the belied that I can do well. I still have plenty of years left in me to play at the top level.”

Hammad Azam, Sohail Tanvir and Rana Naved-ul-Hasan have been tried to play as an allrounder but none has performed well in all the disciplines. But Sami who produces lethal pace has also been pretty handy with the bat down the order in the domestic cricket for quite sometime. In addition, he is an athletic fielder.

After Shoaib Akhar’s retirement, he is the quickest bowler in Pakistan and has been a nightmare for batsmen in the domestic circuit. He continues to generate threatening pace and trouble the top performers. He took 10 wickets in the Pentangular Cup’s first match against Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and has said that he is hoping that selectors would consider him for the one-day series against England.

“I have produced my best and hope that the selectors will finally provide me a opportunity against England in the one-day series,” he said.

Sami stressed that he would continue to fight to make his place in the national team. He said that he deserves to get a place in the new central contracts.Several players are in line to get the new contracts as the number of recipients has been increased.

One of the members of selection committee told ‘The News’ on condition of anonymity that the selectors have also recommended the names of top performers of Quaid-e-Azam Trophy and U19. But it is up to the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) to select players in which ever category they want.


Sami desires to fill allrounder