'Look how Inzi bhai handled Shoaib Akhtar and Shahid Afridi' - Kamran Akmal believes brother Umar should've been treated better

Umar Akmal has recently been in news for all the wrong reasons. 30-year-old Umar was banned by Pakistan Cricket Board for three years from all forms of cricket after the wicketkeeper-batsman failed to report a corrupt approach to the board. In a career marred with controversies, the ban emerged as another speckle in Umar’s contentious career.

Umar’s brother Kamran, who has also been a part of the national side, has said that his younger brother should’ve been treated in a better way by the team management. Kamran cited the example of Inzamam-ul-Haq efficiently handling players like Shahid Afridi and Shoaib Akhtar.

“Off the field activities in nothing new in Pakistan cricket. Team management and the captain should know how to deal with such players. Look at the way Inzi Bhai [Inzamam] handled Shoaib [Akhtar], Asif and Shahid [Afridi]. If the same was done with Umar Akmal, things would have turned out differently,” said Kamran during an interview with Cricket Pakistan.

It’s unfair to keep me out of Test and T20I side: Kamran Akmal

The veteran wicketkeeper also revealed that he was intentionally kept out of the national side despite performing consistently at the domestic level.

“I have been performing in domestic cricket and PSL during the last five years but despite that I have not been given a chance to play for Pakistan,” he said. “In the recent past, couple of coaches did not like me which is why I remained on the sidelines,” added Kamran, who has donned the Pakistan jersey in 53 Tests, 157 ODIs and 58 T20Is.

“It’s unfair to keep me out of the Test and T20I side, especially, because I can play solely as a batsman. If Matthew Wade can make a comeback with an average of 18-20, why not me who averages nearly 60,” he added.

Kamran also weighed on selecting players on the basis of their performances in domestic cricket. According to him, a player’s domestic exploits should be considered instead of his Pakistan Super League (PSL) performances.

“Players are selected on the performance in PSL, while those have been doing well in domestic cricket are ignored. That’s is not how you make good teams,” he said. “If India started doing this, they would have the entire team selected from IPL.”

“Tournaments like IPL and PSL are good for exposure and confidence but the performances that count come from four-day cricket,” he concluded.