Sohail Tanvir aims for ‘handy’ role ahead

Left-handed fast-bowler confident of an improved show against Sri Lanka .

KARACHI: There were barely any memorable moments for Sohail Tanvir in the recent back-to-back limited-over series against South Africa, and the fast-bowler admitted that the team requires more from him.    

The 28-year-old made his international comeback with the tour of the West Indies earlier this year and then remained a regular member of the One-Day International (ODI) and Twenty20 squad against the Proteas in the UAE and South Africa.

The seamer managed to claim just six wickets from as many ODIs besides bagging three wickets from four Twenty20 fixtures against South Africa.

On a more worrying note, Tanvir failed to impress with the bat despite being considered a utility batsman and managed only 64 runs from six ODIs.

“I am aware that the team requires more from me,” Tanvir told The Express Tribune in an interview.

“I am getting my rhythm back in bowling and some good spells against South Africa helped me regain my confidence. I will rate my bowling as satisfying and I’m confident of improvement against Sri Lanka.”

However the cricketer, who has represented Pakistan in 56 ODIs and 35 Twenty20s, was disappointed with his batting performance.

“I had a good number of chances to perform with the bat but failed to deliver, which was a disappointment for me. I am focusing on my batting as better performance from the tail-end can play a vital role for the team.

“I am thankful to the selectors for giving me opportunities consistently and now consider it a big responsibility to play a handy role for my team,” said Tanvir, who is a part of Pakistan’s Twenty20 squad for a one-off match against Afghanistan and a couple of games against Sri Lanka.

‘New talent creating healthy competition’

The fast-bowler termed the arrival of new talent Anwar Ali and Bilawal Bhatti as a positive sign for Pakistan.

“Competition definitely increases when good talent comes in. The kind of pressure that comes with it is good for the old hands as it motivates them to up their game,” he said.

Having played a couple of Test six years ago, Tanvir added that he was available for the longer version and would like to represent the national team regularly in the format.

Published in The Express Tribune, December 7^th, 2013.

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