Shoaib Malik: “Umar Akmal is not willing to feature in the tournament”
Image taken by: Bimal Mirwani
Pakistan all-rounder Shoaib Malik said batsman Umar Akmal was “not willing to feature” in the upcoming Champions One-Day Cup.
It remains unclear why Akmal made himself unavailable for the tournament, which will comprise five teams – Dolphins, Wolves, Stallions, Panthers and Lions – and be held in Faisalabad from September 12 to 29.
The 34-year-old, who was once seen as a batting prodigy, has expressed his desire to make an international comeback in the past. His last game for Pakistan came all the way back in October 2019.
“Umar Akmal is not willing to feature in the tournament,” Malik was quoted as saying by Samaa TV.
Malik is one of the mentors for the competition and will be associated with the Stallions team.
Misbah-ul-Haq, Saqlain Mushtaq and Waqar Younis will be the mentors of the Wolves, Panthers and Lions respectively, while Sarfaraz Ahmed will be a player-mentor for the Dolphins.
The Pakistan team recently faced Bangladesh in a two-Test series, which they lost 2-0.
Next up for them will be a three-match Test series against England, which is scheduled to be held from October 7 to 28.
Pakistan Squad for Bangladesh Test Series: Shan Masood (captain), Saud Shakeel (vice-captain), Aamer Jamal, Abdullah Shafique, Abrar Ahmed, Babar Azam, Kamran Ghulam, Khurram Shahzad, Mir Hamza, Mohammad Ali, Muhammad Hurraira, Mohammad Rizwan (wicketkeeper), Naseem Shah, Saim Ayub, Salman Ali Agha, Sarfaraz Ahmed (wicketkeeper), Shaheen Shah Afridi