(Cricinfo) Kamran Akmal, the Pakistan wicketkeeper, has defended his shoddy performance in the Sydney Test during Pakistan’s disastrous tour of Australia, following speculation that there may have been more to his misses than just cricketing errors.
“I don’t even think about these things, I just concentrate on my performances,” Akmal said. “For me not being able to win the Twenty20 World Cup despite the team playing well is heartbreaking enough.
“I have always played for my country and I have already told the PCB about my performances in Australia. Whoever is now making allegations is free to do so but must also prove them.”
Ijaz Butt, the PCB chairman, said there was no evidence of any match-fixing and the issue was closed. “The Australian tour chapter is now closed and we have finished our inquiry. We have found no evidence of any match-fixing during the tour.”
Akmal was one of seven players punished by the PCB following the tour of Australia. He dropped three catches and missed a run out as Pakistan lost the Sydney Test despite being in a position of dominance after the first innings. In a recent video leak, Intikhab Alam and Aaqib Javed, coach and assistant coach during the tour, expressed doubt over Akmal’s performance in that match. The ICC’s ACSU is currently investigating the tour to establish whether Pakistan’s performance was the result of what it called a “dysfunctional” team or “something more serious”.
