espnstar.com’s Rajarshi Gupta caught up with Pakistani wicket-keeper batsman Kamran Akmal for a candid and exclusive chat.

Akmal is a character on the field. Never short of words behind the stumps and shots with the bat, the 27-year-old has been an asset for the Pakistanis over the last couple of years.

Like other protagonists of India-Pakistan rivalries, Akmal has played his part and played it well. Two Test hundreds stand out in a career that has so far been checkered with sheer brilliance and leans of horror patches. (Remember, the quick-fire ton against India at Lahore and a match-winning century at Karachi when the hosts were down in the dumps?)

So when Akmal speaks of rivalries and their importance in cricketing history, you listen and with rapt attention, more so when he says India-Pakistan rivalries are at par with the centuries old Ashes.

“I saw the Ashes and it was nice to see England win only because they don’t win a lot against the Aussies.

“The whole series was so intense, like all other Ashes. The intensity and the fight reminds me of our (Pakistan’s) rivalry with India on the cricket field. It is at par with the Ashes.”

Point taken. But will Pakistan not be under any pressure as they head on to the ICC Champions Trophy, never having beaten India in an ICC event?

“Well, not really. I know we have not beaten India in any of the World Cups (since 1996) but I don’t think that is a jinx. It all depends on how well the team plays that day. That’s it.”

Akmal has spent seven years as an international player for Pakistan and several years now as their numero uno choice for wicketkeeper and he knows what it is like to feel the heat in the middle. However, he admits there is nothing like an India-Pakistan contest.

“The whole world loves to watch us play and they want to see us play but the pressure to perform and excel is huge.”

No one, who has followed cricket in the sub-continent can ever refute that.

A cricket match between India and Pakistan is huge, more than just a game and nothing could have mirrored that better than a warm-up game in the second edition of the ICC World Twenty20.

The traditional rivals had met at the finals of the 2007 ICC World Twenty20 and no one could have guessed the two were playing a practice match two years later. The frenzy and the passion was still the same, so much so, that it led Indian strike bowler Ishant Sharma to quip, “It may be a practice match for the ICC, not for us.”

The result: India thumped Pakistan by eight wickets.

That however, may not mean much to Akmal, whose team eventually went on to win the ICC World Twenty a couple of weeks later. Cricket is all about confidence and Pakistan have a right to it despite an ordinary show in Sri Lanka.

With some senior players now back in the side after severing ties with the ‘rebel’ Indian Cricket League, Akmal sounds upbeat.

“Abdul Razzaq, Rana Naved and Mohammad Yousuf are back for us and the team will be stronger now and we can do with their experience and skills.

It is also great to have Mohammad Asif in the team. He adds so much to the bowling attack.”

The Twenty20 triumph in England withstanding, The ICC Champions Trophy will be a different cup of tea and Akmal is smart enough to know that.

“You see, the conditions will be different in South Africa and we will have to adapt as well as the other visiting teams. Moreover, Twenty20 cricket is very different from 50-overs cricket.”

With eight of the world’s top ODI teams set to lock horns in South Africa, Akmal refused to pick any favourites but did say that Australia will still be the biggest threat in spite of their recent dip in fortune, which left them humiliated in England all summer- first in the ICC World Twenty20 and then the Ashes.

“In my opinion, Australia are still the best side in the world because they are very strong mentally. They are hurting and smarting from some recent reversals and that makes them dangerous.”

For now however, cricket fans in India and Pakistan want to see their teams blow the bugle and prepare for battle. MS Dhoni and his men know the task at hand is not a mean one. None of their previous colleagues have ever lost to Pakistan in a World Cup or an ICC event before.
Akmal wants to ruin the party for India. Hungry for another ICC title, he and his team are ready to go full tilt. Bring it on, boys!