Discarded Pakistan opener Imran Nazir believes that his career is far from over and he deserve another chance. “When I look at the Pakistan one-day and twenty20 sides, I feel there is definitely a place and a role for myself in both sides. I think that I can give the Pakistan side something different and something they are lacking at the moment which is the ability to give the team a quick start and a launching pad for the middle and lower order batsmen. I think I deserve another chance for Pakistan,” Pakpassion quoted his as saying.
“People think that Imran Nazir can only play one style of cricket and that is to try and hit the ball to all corners of the park, but I don’t agree with that and I feel that I am a more than just a hard hitting batsmen. If you look at some of my innings in domestic cricket last season you will see that they were not just quickfire twenties and thirties. I’m nearly 30 years of age and feel that I am a more mature individual. People tend to forget that I played a lot of cricket for Pakistan at a very young age. Expectations were high from fans and I was in and out of the Pakistan side. There was a lot of pressure on me and I would say that to have that sort of pressure at such a young age did at times affect me,” he added.
“I have never felt better. I’m fully fit, raring to play for Pakistan and I feel that this is now my time to get a chance for Pakistan, a consistent run in the side and to deliver for my country.” Nazir admitted though that shot selection had been a problem in the past and that on too many occasions he’d let himself down with a rash stroke. “Yes I agree that shot selection has been an issue in the past and it’s been frustrating. Make no mistake, I would get just as much frustrated being dismissed after a good start, as the fans and my team mates would. Scoring twenties and thirties won’t hurt the opposition. I know that once settled into the crease, it’s important for an opening batsman to build on a good start. You learn the hard way and I’ve really thought about this during my time away from international selection.”
“I’d love to be given a chance against Ireland and Zimbabwe. I’m ready to serve my country again. Whilst there is no domestic cricket in Pakistan ongoing to catch the eye of the selectors, I have signed up to play in the upcoming Sri Lankan Twenty20 competition. There has also been interest from Australian sides to play in the next edition of the Big Bash, so that is a possibility. If I can perform in those series and also continue to perform well in domestic cricket, then I’m hopeful the selectors will see me as worthy of another chance, as the 2011 version of me has seen maturity added to the array of shots,” he added.
