Veteran Pakistani cricketer Kamran Akmal isn’t happy with the treatment his brother Umar Akmal has been getting from the Pakistan Cricket Board. Unhappy to see his brother being ‘unfairly’ snubbed, Akmal lashed out at Pakistan skipper Babar Azam, suggesting he should keep his ‘personal agendas’ aside and put the national team first. Akmal further accused Babar of putting his preferences on top priority when it comes to national selection especially with regards to the fact that Umar is being overlooked for the ODI team.
“Keep your personal agendas aside, drafting a team should be about putting Pakistan first, not personal agendas or preferences. It’s concerning to see players being shifted between formats based on connections rather than performance. We can’t afford to treat team selection like a game of musical chairs,” said Kamran, as per Cricket Pakistan.
Kamran believes that players in the ODI setup shouldn’t be snubbed on the basis of their performance in the T20I setup.
“The team selection should not be based on transitioning players between formats solely on the basis of their connections in the board. It’s not right to include someone in the ODI lineup just because they didn’t perform well in T20I. This seems like a game of musical chairs, and it’s not fair to the team or the players,” said the veteran wicket-keeper batter.
Vouching for his brother, Kamran said that Umar ‘deserves to play’ and that would probably happen when the people at the higher level change. He also urged Babar to look into the matter.
“Teams shouldn’t be based on liking or disliking. Umar deserves to be part of the team. Change of faces at higher levels should come with a change of approach and selection criteria. I don’t think they’re dealing with Umar appropriately. He deserves to play for the national side.” – Kamran Akmal.
“The team captain should also think about this, not only the selection committee. He’s been with the team for the last four to five years, he should look for the ground requirements of the team,” he concluded.
