'Dream is to get the wicket of Virat Kohli': Uncapped Pakistani spinner eyes prized scalp of India captain
Having dismissed Babar Azam in a practice match, 17-year-old Faisal Akram dreams of getting Virat Kohli's wicket.
Faisal Akram is a 17-year-old left-arm spinner from Pakistan, who recently made headlines when he clean-bowled start batsman Babar Azam in a practice match at the Gaddafi Stadium last week. He bamboozled Babar with his stock ball, which turns back and accounted for the wicket of the Pakistan captain. And no wonder, it's a memory he will cherish for the rest of his life.
“He [Babar] is a world-class player, so I was under a little bit of pressure early on. But Waqar [Younis] bhai, who was standing beside me as an umpire, gave me confidence and said that I can do it. I was bowling well at that time as well, so Babar bhai got a good ball and was dismissed. After that my confidence just sky rocketed,” Faisal told Cricket Pakistan in a chat.
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The 17-year-old was called by the Pakistan team management to help the national team prepare for the South African Tabraiz Shamsi ahead of the ODI series between the two teams starting Friday. After having dismissed Babar, the 17-year-old is next targeting the wicket of Virat Kohli, and calls the prospect of dismissing the India captain a dream. “My dream is to get the wicket of Virat Kohli and hopefully it will come true,” he said.
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Faisal was involved with Pakistan Super League Franchise, Multan Sultans, where he had the privilege of spending time with some of Pakistan’s greats. “Mushtaq bhai is my favourite coach because he is also a leg-spinner, so I have learned a lot from him. Shahid bhai also gave me tips and confidence,” he said.
The youngster also informed that he has received a good word from none other than India all-rounder Hardik Pandya, while also revealing his bowling idol. “I have had conversations with him [Hardik] on Instagram. He has sponsored a bat for me from there,” he said. “My favourite bowler in international cricket was Brad Hogg, who I have followed from the beginning and also try to copy.”
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