Shahid Afridi: “I like him as a batter, but Umar Akmal still has to work on his fitness a lot”
Image taken by: Bimal Mirwani
Iconic Pakistan power-hitter Shahid Afridi said he thinks Umar Akmal is a good batsman but feels that his fitness lets him down.
Akmal recently played for the Quetta Gladiators in the Pakistan Super League (PSL), where he scored 95 runs in six matches at an average of 23.75 and a strike-rate of 186.27.
Despite the 32-year-old having a couple of good games in the tournament, Afridi admitted that he still has a lot of work to do to get his fitness levels up to scratch.
“I like him as a batter, but Umar Akmal still has to work on his fitness a lot,” the former captain was quoted as saying by Cricket Pakistan.
Pakistan are now playing a five-match ODI series against New Zealand, but Akmal was not included in the squad.
The men in green lead 3-0 going into the fourth ODI on Friday in Karachi.
Pakistan squad for ODI series against New Zealand:Â Babar Azam (captain), Shadab Khan (vice-captain), Abdullah Shafique, Fakhar Zaman, Haris Rauf, Haris Sohail, Ihsanullah, Imam-ul-Haq, Mohammad Nawaz, Mohammad Rizwan, Mohammad Wasim Jnr, Naseem Shah, Salman Ali Agha, Shaheen Shah Afridi, Shan Masood and Usama Mir