LAHORE - Tanvir Ahmed, the discarded Pakistani fast bowler, is devastated at being continuously ignored by the selectors and feels that he has always given his best for the country.
The 33-year-old made his first-class debut in 1999 and after consistently performing for Karachi in the domestic cricket for almost a decade; the fast bowler debuted for Pakistan in 2010 against South Africa in United Arab Emirates (UAE).
The Kuwait-born cricketer picked up six wickets in his very first match at Abu Dhabi and impressed with his nagging line and length and the ability to move the ball in the air as well as off the pitch.
Tanvir has so far played four Tests, two One Day Internationals and a T20 for the country. His stats in the longer version of the game are quite reasonable as he picked up 16 wickets at an average of 24.56.
On top of that, the fast bowler is more than handy with the bat as he has already scored a half-century in Test cricket, which ironically came in the last Test he played against West Indies at Basseterre and since then, he has been sidelined by the Pakistan Cricket Board.
In a match dominated by spinners, Tanvir got to bowl only 12 overs but the lanky cricketer did pick up a couple of cheap wickets. While speaking to Pakpassion, Tanvir expressed his disappointment over being dropped even after performing well in both the departments of the game.
“Even in my last Test match against the West Indies I scored 57 in the first innings and because it was a turning track I was only given the opportunity to bowl 12 overs but I still managed to take 2 wickets for 32 runs. After that I was dropped without any explanation,” Tanvir said. Karachi’s player claims that he can serve the country as an all-rounder if the selectors show faith on his abilities.
He expressed, “I’m really puzzled and shocked by my treatment and I think I have been treated unfairly. I performed with the ball and with the bat, my batting average for Pakistan is better than some all rounders yet I am supposed to be a bowler.”