‘He has all the talent in the world but has wasted it’
Former Pakistan head coach Mickey Arthur believes batsman Umar Akmal will “go down in history as one Pakistan player who has underachieved”.
Akmal is currently waiting to be sanctioned by the PCB after being charged with breaching the body’s anti-corruption code, leaving another mark on a controversy-filled career.
The 29-year-old made his international debut in 2009, but only 13 of his 221 appearances for Pakistan so far came during Arthur’s reign as head coach between 2016 and 2019.
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Akmal received a three-match ban in 2017 after accusing Arthur of using foul language against him. The player was found to be in breach of his central contract for airing his grievances to the media.
Asked to his give his thoughts on Akmal in the Pinch Hitter, Arthur, now in charge of Sri Lanka, said: “It’s definitely too late for him now. It’s sad because he is a likeable enough bloke but what he needed was a real firm hand at the start of his career to guide him properly.
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“I don’t think he got the right messages earlier in his career because if he had, he wouldn’t have gone down the route he has chosen to. He was frustrating to work with. He has all the talent in the world but has wasted it and, unfortunately, he will now go down in history as one Pakistan player who has underachieved.”
Akmal was recalled to the Pakistan set-up after Arthur’s departure, recording two consecutive ducks in T20Is against Sri Lanka last October.
