Poor shot selection cause of Umar Akmal's career downswing: Salahuddin

Karachi, Mar 19(ANI): Former Pakistan cricketer Salahuddin Sallu has said that Umar Akmal's career is being damaged due to poor shot selection and added that it is the coach's role to inform the player about the importance of shot selection.

"They say he doesn't play shots along the ground or the on-drive, but it is the role of the captain and coach to manage the development of such a talented player. Let him know he needs to score singles too. There is always a lot of time and staying at the wicket is also important,"PakPassion.net quoted Salahuddin, as saying.

Salahuddin also called on the Pakistan Cricket Board(PCB) to appoint a vice- captain, especially for overseas tours to realize to groom a captain for the future.

He said the Pakistan cricket team needs a media manager so that players can focus fully on the cricket.

On being asked if he faced any pressure from the Pakistan Cricket Board members to select certain players during his time as chief selector, he said:

"First, there is pressure from the people but you have to counter that. In this country, doing things with justice is not an easy task whether it be cricket or any other facet of life. You have to undergo all kinds of pressure, like there is pressure from the institution you work for, relatives, and everyone is hoping for their son to play for Pakistan . If your personal gain conflicts with that of the country's as in the past where someone's brother was playing, or someone's nephew was playing, etc., then the team becomes compromised," he added. (ANI)