‘Talent by itself is so so inadequate,’ – Harsha Bhogle and Aakash Chopra react on Umar Akmal’s ban

Umar Akmal, the Pakistan batsman, was deemed to be the next big thing when he forayed into cricket. His stroke-play caught the eyes of many over the years. He promised a whole lot in all the three formats, but unwanted incidents kept turning detrimental to his career. In 2019, he made his comeback to the national team two times, but couldn’t hold on to his position.

Back in February, he was barred from playing for the Quetta Gladiators in the 2020 edition of the Pakistan Super League (PSL). Now to add insult to injury, the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) has handed him a three-year ban. He was said to have breached Article 2.4.4 of the PCB’s Anti-Corruption Code. He failed to disclose corrupt approaches made to him before the PSL.

Umar Akmal’s temperament was sometimes questionable

Recently, Aakash Chopra and Harsha Bhogle, two of the renowned cricket analysts, shared their opinion on Akmal’s suspension. Both said that the right-hander had loads of potential. Chopra said that he didn’t have the right temperament and reckons that Akmal should’ve been more careful.

“Umar Akmal had a lot of promise and talent. His temperament was sometimes questionable, but that is the case with most Pakistan batsmen and he was no different. It might have been an excuse in the earlier era that cricketers didn’t knew the protocols with regards to reporting a fixing approach,” Chopra was quoted as saying in a YouTube video.

“But nowadays, every player is taught about these things from the beginning of their career and you know that if someone has approached you with a suspicious offer, then immediately you have to inform. If you fail in doing that, then there is always a doubt that you might have accepted that offer or might be considering it,” he added.

Apart from Akmal, Bhogle also put forth the name of Mohammad Ashraful, who was found guilty in the 2013 edition of the Bangladesh Premier League (BPL). The veteran also feels that talent itself doesn’t have much of a significance.

He took to Twitter and wrote, “To our east and to our west, I saw two extraordinary talents. Mohammad Ashraful and Umar Akmal. It is who you are and what you make of your talent that determines how far you go. Talent by itself is so so inadequate,”

Here is Bhogle’s tweet

To our east and to our west, I saw two extraordinary talents. Mohd Ashraful and Umar Akmal. It is who you are and what you make of your talent that determines how far you go. Talent by itself is so so inadequate.

— Harsha Bhogle (@bhogleharsha) April 27, 2020