Kamran Akmal, hero of the 2009 T20 World Cup and former wicket-keeper batsman has backed his brother Umar Akmal stating that it is clear that there the criteria for team selection is not based on performance.
There are players who have just 30 or 32 runs as their highest and they still got selected because they have strong friendships in Pakistani team, the batsman implied.
Yesterday Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) announced squads for T20 and ODI against New Zealand in a series scheduled to begin on April 14. Babar Azam will be the captain and Shadab Khan will hold the vice-captaincy spot.
PCB crushed all rumors of looking for a replacement for Shadab Khan after he lost a series as captain against Afghanistan in United Arab Emirates.
Fans, however, are excited to see their favorite players back in the squad particularly Muhammad Rizwan, Babar Azam and fast bowler Shaheen Shah Afridi who will lead the pace attack will be led by Shaheen Shah Afridi.
On the other hand senior player Kamran Akmal is not so happy with the selection of the squad, lashing out at the Pakistan cricket board management and selection committee for not selecting Umar Akmal in the T20 squad.
“I am talking about Umar. They announced the T20 team and didn’t include him in the squad. Why? He played last year’s PSL and this year’s PSL in very tough conditions He tried his best to deliver whenever given an opportunity, a chance, limited amount of balls or overs, etc.,” Akmal said.
“I don’t need to explain or tell anyone; everyone is well aware of the reality. Yet, I still cannot comprehend why he isn’t being given a chance in the national team, particularly on the batting number where almost every player has been tried,” he added.
Kamran Akmal stressed that his younger brother doesn’t indulge in flattery, which is why he goes unnoticed.
“The performance of all these players is crystal clear in front of everyone; despite that, you are still not including Umar because he isn’t in the likings or good books of the selection committee? Or maybe because he doesn’t greet you guys well, doesn’t invest a lot of time in flattering – this is what I can conclude as to why he isn’t a part of the national team.”
Continuing in the same vein, Kamran Akmal said that it is crystal clear that performance is not the criteria for the selection, adding that one has to be a foot licker or employ flattery for selection in the Pakistan team.
The 34-year-old Umar, who last played a T20I match against Sri Lanka way back in 2019, stated that his recent performances in domestic cricket are in front of everyone, and it’s up to the selection committee to pick him in the national side.
“I leave the decision of selection for the upcoming series against New Zealand to the PCB and the selection committee. I take cricket very seriously, be it club cricket, domestic cricket, or international cricket. As you can see, I don’t miss a single club cricket game, and I always give my 100%. I will continue to perform like this till the end,” he said.
