Over the past few years, Pakistan’s cricket system has seen a number of changes, from changes in the captaincy of the team to the dismissal and reinstatement of Najam Sethi as chairman and the unexpected dismissal of former Pakistan captain Rameez Raja last year. Some important exceptions occurred during this period. Former captain Sarfaraz Ahmed not only lost his position as leader but also struggled to find a place in the Test XI before making a brilliant comeback against New Zealand last month.
However, one player who has been absent from the Pakistan team for over three years now is Umar Akmal, the wicketkeeper-batsman who has represented the team in 16 Tests, 121 ODIs and 84 T20s so far. In 2020, Akmal was banned from the fifth edition of the Pakistan Premier League for failing to report spot-fixing methods; He was also banned by the Pakistan Cricket Board.
After that, Umar apologized and returned to the country’s domestic set-up, but did not get consistent opportunities in first-class cricket.
During an interview with Pakistani journalist Hafiz Muhammad Imran, the reporter said that Pakistani cricketer Raza Ali, who had captained Akmal in a domestic tournament, asked the 32-year-old wicketkeeper-batsman not to play. . Reacting to the revelation, an emotional Akmal compared himself to Virat Kohli.
“I am ashamed of what Raza said. I shouldn’t have been put on the do not play list. I have given so much to Pakistan and I don’t deserve this. Pakistan has no way to support their players in difficult times.
“Virat Kohli is a prime example of this. The way he was supported by the Indian board was excellent. “I will give credit to the Indian Cricket Board for supporting him,” said Akmal.
Kohli went through a bad area till 2022 and even took a break from the game for a month; However, the former India captain made a brilliant comeback in the Asia Cup in September, where his three-year wait for an international century ended. After that, Kohli continued his form and scored three centuries.
