Quetta Gladiators co-owner reposes trust in Umar Akmal

• Quetta Gladiators co-owner says he has full confidence in Umar Akmal.
• Says Umar is not a risk for franchise. 
• Says he is a talented cricketer. 

The Quetta Gladiators co-owner Hassan Omar said he believes in former national cricket team player Umar Akmal despite the criticism he faced.

The remarks from the Quetta Gladiators' co-owner come a day before the draft for the eighth edition of the Pakistan Super League (PSL8) is all set to take place in Karachi. All teams will complete their 18-member squad in the drafting ceremony.

"I don't think Umar's selection is a risk," Hassan said, speaking to Geo Super. "He is with us for a very long time and we believe in his talent. The way he played in a match against Islamabad United during the last season speaks volumes about his quality."

The franchise of the Quetta Gladiators is best known for its association with players, be it providing chances to discarded cricketers Umar Akmal and Ahmad Shahzad or naming Sarfaraz Ahmed their franchise captain for 10 years.

The Pakistan Super League (PSL) 2019 champions suffered immense criticism after they picked Umar and Ahmad together for the 2020-21 season of the league. They kept both players in full confidence, however.

However, Umar was charged with failing to 'report corrupt approaches' ahead of PSL 2020 which put him in trouble. The cricketer was immediately suspended from that season and had to face a three-year ban (reduced to 18 months later).

Once again, the franchise has shown belief in the hard-hitting batter by not only retaining him among eight players but appointing him their brand ambassador. The Gladiators looked confident about this decision but their fans thought otherwise.

Umar, in PSL 7, scored 101 runs in five matches at an average of 20.20. He had also scored a half-century in that season.

Hassan has high hopes for the middle-order batter in the upcoming season following his recent record for his team.

"The way he delivered last season for us, I hope he will continue doing the same this season," the co-owner said confidently.