A seasoned cricketer from Pakistan has asserted that the selectors of his country have repeatedly ignored his staggering List A record, which is “better than” that of the former captain of India.
In world cricket, there are a few players who define each era. A player, who through his accomplishments and records, in one or the other batting or bowling.
Has set a specific norm across configurations to which each and every player on the planet turns upward.
The world has witnessed many such stalwarts over two centuries in this sport. Including Don Bradman, Viv Richards, Sunil Gavaskar, Wasim Akram, Sachin Tendulkar, and Shane Warne, among others.
Virat Kohli has consistently set the standard for the modern era when it comes to batting goals. In any format, any value above Kohli’s does get noticed and highlighted in the cricket community.
However, a seasoned Pakistan cricketer has asserted that the country’s selectors have repeatedly ignored his “better” List A record than the former India captain.
Khurram Manzoor, a right-handed batter from Karachi, has played for Pakistan in 26 international matches. Making his debut in 2008 in 16 Tests, seven ODIs, and three T20Is.
The only match in Khurram’s career that featured both Kohli and Khurram was one of those three in the shortest format. In an Asia Cup match, Kohli struck the Pakistan batter with a brilliant direct hit, leaving him with only 10 runs.
The 36-year-old made his final international appearance that day. Since then, he has tried to get back into the national team by playing domestic cricket, but he has been turned down.
Khurram was asked about a claim he had made that his List A numbers were better than Kohli’s on his YouTube channel.
Despite the selectors’ repeated denials, he clarified that his goal was not to compare himself to the star India batter. But rather to highlight his domestic cricket accomplishments.
I am not making a comparison to Virat Kohli. The fact of the matter is that I am the world’s number one in 50-over cricket, no matter who is in the top ten. Kohli stands behind me.
In List A cricket, my conversion rate is higher than his. Every six innings, he hits a century. Every 5.68 innings, I score a century.
In addition, I am ranked fifth worldwide in List A cricket with an average of 53 over the past ten years. In addition, in my last 48 innings, I have scored 24 centuries.
Regardless of who has opened for Pakistan since 2015, I have consistently been the team’s leading scorer. In the national Twenty20, I am also the highest scorer and century chaser.
However, I am ignored. He continued, “And nobody has ever given me a solid reason for that.”
In 166 List A appearances, Khurram has scored 7992 runs with 27 tons, a century every 6.11 innings.
His 53.42 batting average currently ranks sixth among batters who have pitched at least 100 innings. On the other hand, Kohli has hit 50 home runs and scored 14215 runs in 294 innings. A century every 5.88 innings.