“I’m the world number one in List A, conversion rate better than Kohli, but ignored” | Cricket

Every era of world cricket has a player or two that defines that period. A player who, with his achievements and records either in batting or bowling, has set a certain standard in the formats that all other players in the world hold. Over two centuries in this sport, the world has seen many such athletes like Don Bradman, Viv Richards, Sunil Gavaskar, Wasim Akram, Sachin Tendulkar, Shane Warne among others. In modern times, Virat Kohli has been the epitome of batsmen’s batsmen. Any number greater than what Kohli does in any format will be noticed and celebrated in the cricketing fraternity. But the veteran Pakistan cricketer has claimed his country’s selectors have repeatedly ignored his List A record, which is “better than that of the former India captain”.

A right-handed batsman from Karachi, Khurram Manzoor has appeared in 26 international matches for Pakistan – 16 Tests, seven ODIs and three T20Is – since his debut in 2008. Of those three matches, there was one in the shortest format. which featured both Kohli and Khurram, the only such match in the latter’s career. The Pakistan batsman, who scored just 10 runs, knocked out Kohli with a brilliant direct hit in the Asia Cup match.

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It was the 36-year-old’s last appearance in the national team. He has since tried to get back into the national team by appearing in domestic cricket, but has been denied.

Speaking to Nadir Ali on his YouTube channel, Khurram was asked about the claim he had made of his A-list numbers being better than Kohli’s. He clarified that though his attempt was not to compare himself to star India, but rather to highlight his achievements in domestic cricket amid repeated denials by the selectors.

I don’t compare myself to Virat Kohli. The fact is, in the 50-run cricket, whoever is there in the top 10, I am world number one. Kohli is standing behind me. My conversion rate on list A is better than his. He scores a century every six innings. I score a 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 have also scored 24 centuries in the last 48 innings. From 2015 till now, whoever has opened for Pakistan, I still remain the top scorer among them. I am also the national T20 top scorer and century getter. Yet I am ignored. And no one has ever given me a solid reason for that, he said.

Khurram has so far scored 7992 runs in 166 List A matches with 27 tons, which translates to a century every 6.11 innings. His average of 53.42 is currently the sixth best in the world among batsmen who have played at least 100 innings. Kohli, on the other hand, has scored 14,215 runs in 294 innings with 50 tons, which translates to a century every 5.88 innings.