Umar Amin vows to work harder to gain Pak selectors' attention

Pakistan left-hander batsman Umar Amin, who failed to make it to the national squad for the upcoming Champions Trophy despite some brilliant performances at the domestic level, has promised to keep working harder and work on his fitness to attract the selectors' attention.

Considered as one of Pakistan's most promising batsmen, Amin has appeared in just 29 matches for his side so far.

He, however, has been showing promising signs and good form in domestic cricket. Amin, who played for Punjab in the recently-concluded Pakistan Cup, finished as the fifth highest run-getter in the tournament with 296 runs in four matches at a batting average of 98.66.

"I am one who believes that one should never let go of hoping for a better future. If I have missed selection for the Champions Trophy then I am hopeful that I will be picked for the next series by the selectors. If even that doesn't materialise then I will continue working and try to improve myself further, and so on. I will continue to knock on the doors for selection by maintaining my fitness and putting in better performances," Pakpassion.net quoted Amin as saying.

Amin, who last played for Pakistan in October 2014, also revealed that he had matured a lot after spending some time in domestic cricket, while adding that he has become much more dedicated towards his game.

"I feel that I have matured a lot after spending time in domestic cricket and have toughened up mentally after having faced some adversities along the way. I am much more dedicated now to my cricket and also have improved my fitness which is great for my future," he added.

Talking about the shortcoming on which he had worked upon, Amin insisted that he has started backing his strengths and worked upon power-hitting techniques which were clearly reflected on his performances during the Pakistan Cup.

"I had some issues with fitness and strength where I would rely solely on timing for my shots. Given that international cricket has become very fast-paced and some amount of power-hitting is needed, I put in some effort in that aspect and the results of that were obvious in my performances in the Pakistan Cup," he said.

The 27-year-old further said that he now keeps his mind clear and calmly assess the situation every time he goes into the field.

"In the three innings that I played, I hit twelve sixes which is the most number of sixes in the Pakistan Cup which clearly demonstrates that I am now able to step-up a gear and play the big shots when needed. The other change I have made is to play with a free-mind in that whenever I go into bat, I calmly assess the game situation as well as the pitch, and try and keep things as simple as possible. The idea is to adapt to the current circumstances and then play with confidence," he added.

When quizzed if he could fill in the void that will be left by Test skipper Misbah-ul-Haq and veteran Younis Khan, Amin said that he has the ability to do the same purely based on his performances.

"I don't see why not! I have never doubted myself about the fact that I cannot take the place of any top batsmen such as Misbah or Younis in the team. I have the ability to do that purely based upon my performances and that is indeed my goal which is to prove my utility through my performances and to have what it takes to step into the position of anyone of these distinguished batsmen," Amin said.

Misbah and Younis had both announced that they will bid adieu to international cricket following the ongoing three-match Test series against West Indies.