Hope Umar Akmal makes comeback to national side: Sarfaraz Ahmed

Pakistan skipper Sarfaraz Ahmed has been having the dream phase of his cricket life. It has not majorly been because of his individual performances, but the way team Pakistan has evolved under his leadership is something that he can be very proud of. Pakistan recently emerged as the champions of the ICC Champions Trophy 2017. It was a landmark win for them.

Sarfaraz is currently in England where he is having a stint with the Yorkshire Cricket Club. It comes as no surprise that the stint will benefit him in the longer run. In a recent conversation with PakPassion.net, Sarfaraz spoke at length about the various propositions of the Pakistan cricket. The most notable among all mentions was that of Umar Akmal.

The talent and caliber of Umar is known to all. However, in the recent times, he has not been in the scheme of things for the national side. He was dropped from the Champions Trophy squad after failing to meet the fitness standards. Sarfaraz noted that he hopes Umar gets back to prime fitness soon.

“As professional cricketers, we have a platform and a chance to show our skills to the world. It’s the same for all of us, myself and anybody else and Umar Akmal is no different. I hope he works hard, I hope he improves his fitness and I really hope he makes a comeback to the Pakistan team once again as when on song, he is an asset for the team,” said Sarfaraz Ahmed.

On the World XI tour

In the recent times, the developments regarding the potential World XI tour to Pakistan is doing the rounds in the media. The ICC and the PCB are busy finalizing the dates and players for the World XI games. Sarfaraz feels that the series will open the doors for international cricket in Pakistan yet again.

“I am really hopeful that this series goes ahead and I hope that this series is a huge success. I’m hopeful that once the World Eleven has toured Pakistan it will be the catalyst for more tours by cricketing nations to Pakistan,” he conceded.