Kamran Akmal: “You are still not including Umar because he isn’t in the likings or good books of the selection committee? Or because Umar is less hyped than others or because he plays for the team?”
Image taken by: Bimal Mirwani
Kamran Akmal has questioned if his brother Umar Akmal is not getting selected in the Pakistan team because he is “less hyped” than other players.
Umar last played international cricket in October 2019 but has remained active in domestic cricket.
He recently represented the Quetta Gladiators in the 2023 Pakistan Super League (PSL), where he made 95 runs in six matches at an average of 23.75 and a strike-rate of 186.27.
If hype is not the answer, Kamran asked whether it is due to Umar not being liked by the selectors or if he “doesn’t greet you guys well”.
“The performance of all these players is crystal clear in front of everyone; despite that, you are still not including Umar because he isn’t in the likings or good books of the selection committee? Or because Umar is less hyped than others or because he plays for the team? Or maybe because he doesn’t greet you guys well, doesn’t invest a lot of time in flattering – only this is what I can conclude as to why he isn’t a part of the national team,” he said on his YouTube channel as quoted by Cricket Pakistan.
Pakistan are now preparing for their tour of Sri Lanka, which will consist of two Test matches in Galle and Colombo from July 16 to 28.
Pakistan Squad for Sri Lanka Test Series:Â Babar Azam (c), Mohammad Rizwan (vc & wk), Aamer Jamal, Abdullah Shafique, Abrar Ahmed, Hasan Ali, Imam-ul-Haq, Muhammad Huraira, Mohammad Nawaz, Naseem Shah, Noman Ali, Salman Ali Agha, Sarfaraz Ahmed (wk), Saud Shakeel, Shaheen Shah Afridi and Shan Masood