'Umar Akmal should not be allowed to come back into Pakistan side under any circumstances' - Tanvir Ahmed

Pakistan’s Umar Akmal has been in the news recently for all the wrong reasons. In the past month, Akmal was charged for breaching the anti-corruption code of the Pakistan Cricket Board. Akmal was suspended after breaching the code twice. It was revealed that PCB had charged Akmal for breaches of article 2.4.4 of the PCB anti-corruption code on two separate incidents.

Amid the never-ending affair of controversies and Umar Akmal, former Pakistan speedster Tanvir Ahmed believes that the PCB has given too many chances to the wicketkeeper-batsman. Ahmed has stated that the board is being lenient on Umar Akmal by giving him several chances to bounce back to the national side. However, to their disdain, Akmal has failed to retaliate and mark his comeback to the national side.

“When he [Umar Akmal] is not performing and keeps coming back to the side, it seems to me that his contacts are the only reason. What are the chairman of the PCB and other officials doing in this regard? Why is no one asking selectors why he keeps coming back despite all his controversies,” Tanvir said in a YouTube video as quoted by Cricket Pakistan.

‘Nobody is asking why is he coming back’: Tanvir Ahmed

Tanvir also opined that the 29-year-old keeps coming back even after getting into trouble every now and then. He further stated that Akmal should not be allowed to make a comeback into the national side under any circumstances.

“PCB chairmen keep changing but Umar Akmal keeps coming back. Nobody is asking why he keeps coming back after so many chances. I can guarantee that if he gets banned for six months, he will be back as soon as his ban is over. Umar Akmal should not be allowed to come back into the side under any circumstances,” he added.

Tanvir accepted that Akmal has a lot of talent but added that the wicketkeeper-batsman has failed to perform even after getting another chance in 2019. Tanvir also went on to say that Akmal cannot do justice to his talent and is not capable of cementing his place in the national team.

Tanvir further said, “Many people claim that Umar Akmal had a lot of talent including myself. Misbah gave him another chance in 2019 in which he couldn’t perform. Did no selector from his debut in 2009 till now realise that he, even with his talent, is not capable of being in the national side because he cannot do justice to his talent?”