Pakistan batsman Umar Akmal: “All performers get their deserving chance in the Pakistan team. I’ll keep working hard, and if God wills, I will make a comeback in the national team”
Image taken by: Bimal Mirwani
Umar Akmal, the Pakistan batsman, has vowed to keep working hard in an attempt to resurrect his international career.
He knows this will be no easy feat as the men in green have many in-form batsmen at the moment, including Abdullah Shafique, Babar Azam and Mohammad Rizwan.
That said, the 33-year-old hasn’t given up on making a comeback and feels he can still do it.
“All performers get their deserving chance in the Pakistan team. I’ll keep working hard, and if God wills, I will make a comeback in the national team,” Akmal was quoted as saying by Cricket Pakistan.
Akmal hasn’t played international cricket since October 2019, but he has returned to domestic cricket after serving a ban for failing to report corrupt approaches.
In the 2023 Pakistan Super League (PSL), he represented the Quetta Gladiators and scored 95 runs in six matches at an average of 23.75 and a strike-rate of 186.27.
Most recently, he featured in the Pakistan Cup and scored 95 runs in six games for the Lahore Region Whites at an average of 15.83.
Pakistan just finished taking part in the 2023 ICC Cricket World Cup and began by beating the Netherlands and Sri Lanka.
Thing went downhill for them from there as they lost their next four matches against India, Australia, Afghanistan and South Africa.
The men in green managed to bounce back with back-to-back wins over Bangladesh and New Zealand, but they still failed in their bid to make it to the semi-finals.
Pakistan concluded their campaign on a low as England demolished them by 93 runs.
Pakistan Squad for 2023 ICC Cricket World Cup: Fakhar Zaman, Imam-ul-Haq, Abdullah Shafique, Babar Azam (capt), Mohammad Rizwan, Saud Shakeel, Iftikhar Ahmed, Salman Ali Agha, Shadab Khan, Usama Mir, Mohammad Nawaz, Shaheen Shah Afridi, Haris Rauf, Mohammad Wasim Jnr, Hasan Ali