Umar Akmal: Always in the news for all the wrong reasons
With countless disciplinary violations up his sleeve, Pakistan cricket's controversy magnet has landed himself into yet another mess
August 16, 2017
KARACHI: In another outrageous violation of discipline, Pakistan Cricket team’s always-controversial player Umar Akmal has blamed head coach Micky Arthur of mistreating and verbally abusing him.
“Mickey abused me in front of others,” 27-year-old Akmal said in a press conference on Wednesday.
Interestingly, the middle-order batsman’s press conference, of which PCB has now taken notice, has been termed another blatant breach of discipline by former cricketers.
Akmal is yet to find any support from the former stars.
Speaking to Geo News, former cricketers Shoaib Akhtar, Wasim Akram, Muhammad Yousuf, and Ramiz Raja put their weight behind Arthur.
In fact, Raja even suggested Akmal to "consult a psychologist" in view of improving his attitude.
One wonders why Akmal failed to muster support from the cricket fraternity, and if it had anything to do with the controversial history associated with the middle-order batsman.
Needless to say, this is not the first of such violations by Akmal. He has remained controversial for a very long time—if not for a lack of discipline then for poor fitness.
From being nabbed from a party, getting detained for using an illegal fancy number plate on his car, and breaking the speed limit while driving, Akmal has always remained in the news for all the wrong reasons.
People who follow Pakistan cricket know very well that Micky Arthur isn’t the first coach to have issues with Umar Akmal. Former coach Waqar Younis had also questioned his attitude in his report following the World T20.
He was subsequently dropped from the squad following Waqar’s report, but got himself cleared for selection immediately after a meeting with then-PCB Chairman Shaharyar Khan where, according to media reports, he regretted his behaviour and promised to act like a gentleman.
But, as expected, Akmal couldn’t keep his promise for long.
In April this year, Akmal got involved in a spat with teammate Junaid Khan by accusing him of abandoning the team. Junaid later termed Akmal’s statement as ‘misleading’.
The batsman was included in the Pakistan squad for Champions Trophy 2017 but was dropped after failing a fitness test conducted in England ahead of the tournament.
With countless incidents of breaching discipline and code of conduct, Akmal today is now complaining of mistreatment. Possibly, he was hoping to be pampered by the coaching staff of Pakistan Cricket team — a desire which did not turn into reality.
Taking notice of his press conference, the Pakistan Cricket Board, instead, has decided to issue a show-cause notice to the sportsman who appears to be courting controversy all the time.
As one great leader said, “be the change you wish to see in the world,” Akmal must change his own attitude towards cricket instead of complaining about everybody else. A little introspection may go a long way.
Disclaimer: The views and opinions expressed are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the official policy or position of Geo News or the Jang Group.
