Pakistan’s wicketkeeper-batsman, scrapped Kamran Akmal, defended the erratic behavior of his younger brother Umar Akmal on Tuesday, saying the country’s cricket establishment has failed to manage the talented hitter.
Umar is currently serving a three-year ban for failing to report spot fixation approaches but has appealed the decision to an independent court of the Pakistan Cricket Board. The hearing date has not yet been finalized.
“Off-field activities are nothing new in Pakistan’s cricket. Team management and the captain must know how to deal with such players. Look at the way Inzi Bhai (Inzamam-ul-Haq) handled Shoaib (Akhtar), (Mohammad) Asif and Shahid (Afridi). If the same were done with Umar Akmal, things would have turned out differently, ”the Cricket Pakistan website said, as quoted as saying.
Kamran also expressed his discontent at having been excluded from the national team despite good performances in national cricket.
“I have been performing in national cricket and PSL (Pakistan Super League) for the past five years, but despite that I have not been given the opportunity to play for Pakistan,” he said.
“In the recent past, a couple of coaches didn’t like me, so I stayed on the sidelines.
“It is unfair to stay out of the Test and the T20I side, especially since I can only play as a hitter.” If Matthew Wade can come back with an average of 18-20, why not me, who averages almost 60, “he added.
Kamran last played for Pakistan in 2017 in the West Indies despite having a successful career on the national team during a career that spanned 53 events, 157 ODI, and 58 T20.
Kamran also advised national selectors to choose players based on performances in national cricket rather than just PSL, while also drawing parallels with the Indian Premier League (IPL).
“Players are selected for their performance on PSL, while those who have performed well in domestic cricket are ignored. This is not how good teams are made, “he said.
“If India started doing this, they would have the entire IPL team selected.
“Tournaments like IPL and PSL are good for exposure and confidence, but the performances that count come from four-day cricket,” he concluded.
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