'I’ve better conversion rate than Virat Kohli. I’m world No.1 in 50 overs cricket': Pak batsman's bold claim
'I’ve better conversion rate than Virat Kohli. I’m world No.1 in 50 overs cricket': Pak batsman's bold claim
A veteran Pakistan cricketer has claimed that his stagging List A record, "better than" that of the former India captain Virat Kohli, has been repeatedly ignored by the selectors of his country.
A right-handed batsman from Pakistan’s Karachi, Khurram Manzoor has featured in 26 international games for Pakistan, 16 in Tests, seven in ODIs, and three in T20Is - with his debut in 2008. Of those three matches in the shortest format of the game, was one that featured both Kohli and Khurram, the only such fixture in the latter's career. The Pakistan batter, having scored only 10 runs, was run-out by a brilliant direct hit from Kohli in what was an Asia Cup fixture.
It was veteran batsman’s last international appearance. He has since been trying to get back to the national side with performances in domestic cricket, but has been denied.
Talking to Nadir Ali on his YouTube channel, Khurram was questioned about a claim he had made in his List A numbers being better than that of Viart Kohli. He explained that although his attempt was not to compare himself with the former Indian skipper, but to rather highlight his achievements in domestic cricket amid selectors' repeated denial.
“I am not comparing myself with Virat Kohli. Fact is, in 50-overs cricket, whoever are there in the top-10, I am the world no.1. After me stands Kohli. My conversion rate in List A cricket is better than him. He scores a century every six innings. I score century every 5.68 innings. And based on my average of 53, over the last 10 years, I am ranked fifth in the world in List A cricket. I also have scored 24 centuries in the last 48 innings. Between 2015 and now, whoever has opened for Pakistan, I still remain the leading scorer among them. I am also the top scorer and century getter in national T20. Yet I get ignored. And nobody has ever given me a solid reason for that,” he said.
So far, Khurram Manzoor has scored 7992 runs in 166 List A appearances with 27 centuries. His average of 53.42 is currently the sixth-best in the world among batters who have played at least 100 or more innings. Virat Kohli, on the other hand, has scored 14215 runs in 294 innings with 50 centuries.