Umar Akmal has accused his former Pakistan international coaches Waqar Younis and Mickey Arthur of sabotaging his career. He claimed that the coaching duo’s animosity against him was the main reason why his international career came to a standstill. The keeper has not played an international game since 2019.
Umar Akmal, brother to international players Adnan Akmal and Kamran Akmal, arrived in the Pakistan national team in style. In his debut Test Match against New Zealand, the middle-order batsman hit 129 of 160 balls becoming only the second Pakistani to score a debut ton away from home after Fawad Alam.
He made an impact in the ODI format too, as he smashed his maiden ton in just his third game. However, a downfall, especially a dip in form led to his ouster from the team in 2019.
Umar Akmal Blames Mickey Arthur For Using Harsh Words And Ignoring Him
In a recent interview, Umar Akmal has lashed out against former coach Mickey Arthur.
“Mickey Arthur had personal issues with me but the team management at that time did not raise a voice for me and they have been silent till today. However, Mickey Arthur later did admit that he used harsh words on me. I am among those rare cricketers of Pakistan who have been ignored at every turn,” said the now-ousted cricketer.
The South African coach however didn’t take the criticism kindly. After reading Umar Akmal’s statement posted by Pakistani journalist Aalia Rasheed on Twitter, Micky Arthur retweeted with the words “Take a look in the mirror Umar!!”
The former Pakistan head coach had quite a tumultuous relationship with both the Akmal brothers – Umar and Kamran. He had criticized both the cricketers on several occasions after he quit the job in 2019. He even went on to term Umar Akmal as arrogant and one who would not work on his own fitness.
Umar Akmal Criticized Waqar Younis For Not Promoting Up The Batting Order
Umar Akmal also criticized Pakistan legend Waqar Younis claiming that he refused to send him up the order in spite of getting advice from former Prime Minister Imran Khan.
“I asked Imran Khan to recommend team management to send me at number three. Imran Khan himself asked Waqar Younis why I was not a part of the top-order. Waqar Younis was a legendary fast bowler but I could not understand him as a head coach,” said Umar Akmal.
Umar Akmal has represented Pakistan in 16 Tests, 121 ODIs, and 84 T20Is, wherein he managed to score 5,887 runs. These included three centuries and 34 fifties. Mickey Arthur was appointed Pakistan’s head coach in May 2016 and against all odds, he led the team to victory in the 2017 ICC Champions Trophy. Mickey Arthur has in the past coached teams like South Africa, Australia, and Sri Lanka, besides Pakistan.
Pakistan batter Umar Akmal showed a lot of promise in his early days. He even hit a hundred on his Test debut against a New Zealand attack that had the likes of pacer Shane Bond in it. However, his career took a sharp turn for his off-the-cuff remarks and interviews where he spoke his mind out, creating a bad public image for himself.
As a result, his Test career lasted two more years and in 2011 he played his last Test match. He, however, continued to play for Pakistan on the limited-overs side, but couldn’t quite make a name for himself. He last played an international game for Pakistan in 2019 after which he was banned for three years from all forms of cricket for failing to report a fixing approach. In October 2021, Kamran Akmal left Pakistan to play cricket in the United States.