Thaindian News

Islamabad, April 6(ANI): Discarded Pakistan batsman Faisal Iqbal, who piled up 324 runs in eight innings at the recent Pentangular Cup tournament, has expressed his hope of making a comeback in the national squad.

“I have put the ball in the selectors’ court, my performances speak for themselves… It is now up to the selectors to view me as a senior batsman. My level of experience and performances for Pakistan in the past are there for all to see, and I have shown this level of responsibility for Sindh in the Pentangular Cup as well”, PakPassion.net quoted Faisal, as saying.

“The best thing is that these performances have been seen by the selectors themselves in the ground, so I am very hopeful Inshallah of making a comeback. Other seniors such as Misbah and Younis Khan have made a comeback to the team, so I am also very hopeful to do so as well,” he added.

Although Faisal remains cautiously optimistic for a call by the national selectors, he pleaded for a fairer consideration at the highest levels.

“I have performed well in ODI Cup, scored 320 runs and was the third highest scoring batsmen there, as well as being the fourth highest run getter in the Pentangular Cup. I have showed once again that I can perform well in all forms as a senior player. My batting form, fitness and fielding abilities have been excellent - all I need now is support and fair consideration by PCB administration, national selectors, coach and the Pakistan Captain,” he said.

The pitches and the level of competition in Pakistani domestic cricket has always been a hotly debated issue, with recently discarded players tending to give outstanding performances in first-class cricket, but failing to reproduce the same form at international level.

Faisal, however, disagreed with this view, saying: “The matches were played on purely green top wickets, which were very bowler-friendly and were a big test of a batsman’s nerves, ability and talent. After playing on these wickets, I felt that I had become a mature batsman and I personally judge myself as a very secure batsman. My performances on such green-tops speak for themselves.” (ANI)