Off-field activities not new in Pakistan: Kamran defends brother Umar; cites Inzi, Shoaib

Pakistan's former wicketkeeper Kamran Akmal alleged that the mismanagement of talent from the side's top brass led to the erratic behaviour of his brother Umar Akmal. Umar Akmal, who is facing a three-year-ban for failing to report spot-fixing approaches in the Pakistan Super League (PSL), has been embroiled in controversies and involved in feuds -  with players, the Board and the support staff. Jumping to the defense of his brother Umar Akmal, Kamran blamed the country's cricket establishment for mishandling his 'talent' and said that he wouldn't have gone wayward if he was properly taken care of. 

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'Look at the way...'

Kamran Akmal hit out at the side's top brass, including the team management and the captain, for not adequately dealing with Umar Akmal. The former wicketkeeper claimed that off-field activities weren't new for Pakistan players and that the management & skipper should have known how to have dealt with that. Citing the case of Shoaib Akhtar, Shahid Afridi & Mohammad Asif, Kamran Akmal pointed out that they were handled well by then skipper Inzamam-ul-Haq and said that if the same treatment had been meted out to his brother Umar Akmal, then things would have been different.

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"Off the field activities are nothing new in Pakistan cricket. Team management and captain should know how to deal with such players. Look at the way Inzi bhai (Inzamam-ul-Haq) handled Shoaib (Akhtar), (Mohammad) Asif and Shahid (Afridi). If the same was done with Umar Akmal, things would have turned out differently," he was quoted as saying by Cricket Pakistan website.  

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Umar Akmal's ban

Umar Akmal was found guilty of two charges under the PCB Anti-Corruption Code, leaving him ineligible for all cricket related ventures till February 19, 2023. Justice (retired) Fazal-e-Miran Chauhan, chairman of the PCB's disciplinary panel, said that the batsman wasn't prepared to show any remorse and did not seek an apology after the pronouncement of the Umar Akmal ban. Chauhan, in the statement, added that Akmal tried to take refuge behind the fact that he had reported previous approaches made. The PCB announced the Umar Akmal ban on the eve of the now-suspended Pakistan Super League, with two breaches of Article 2.4.4 of the PCB Anti-Corruption Code in two separate incidents on March 17.

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