‘Should not be back under any circumstances’: Former Pakistan seamer makes strong claims on ‘suspended’ player

Former Pakistan fast-bowler Tanvir Ahmed believes the Pakistan Cricket Board has been too lenient on Umar Akmal by giving him multiple chances to make a comeback to the national team despite failures and controversies. Akmal was recently charged with two breaches of the Pakistan Cricket Board’s (PCB) anti-corruption code and is currently suspended.

“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.

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“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.

“Umar Akmal’s issue is on the forefront nowadays. We know that a day before the PSL, Umar Akmal was not allowed to play for the Quetta Gladiators franchise. He was being investigated for meeting or talking to a bookie. The article 2.4.4 of the PCB’s anti-corruption code clearly states that withholding information in case a bookie approaches you is against the rules and could result in a six-month or a life ban.

“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?