Ramiz Raja, the former head of the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB), commented on the talented batsman Umar Akmal, who played a crucial innings in the Pakistan Super League (PSL) 2023 on Sunday. According to Raja, Akmal’s story exemplifies great talent that unfortunately went to waste due to a lack of discipline and an inability to control his behavior on the field.
Raja stated that there is a lesson to be learned from Akmal’s story for all players, as a lack of discipline and an inability to keep quiet while playing could result in receiving unjust treatment. Despite his past issues, Akmal remains a match-winner, as seen in his recent performance against Islamabad United’s top bowling attack.
“Umar Akmal’s story is a literal definition of great talent but wasted talent, unfortunately. However, there is a lesson for all the players, if you are not disciplined and if you cannot zip your mouth while playing, then there is a larger probability that you will be at the receiving end of injustice- quite an unfortunate scenario,” Ramiz Raja said.
“He was one of my favorite players when he started cricket, and we all saw a glimpse today of how much talent he carries. He destroyed Islamabad United’s finest bowling attack,” Ramiz Raja was quoted as saying by Cricket Pakistan.
However, Raja also highlighted Akmal’s fitness and discipline problems and urged him to control his quarreling attitude. Although it remains uncertain what the future holds for Akmal, Raja stated that there is currently no bigger match-winner in Pakistan than Akmal when playing at number 6 or 7.
“I am not sure what the future holds for him – will he be able to become an asset for us or not, but in today’s date, there is no bigger match-winner than Umar Akmal in Pakistan – playing at 6 or 7. There have been fitness issues with him, but there is a discipline problem as well. You are supposed to play cricket with blinkers on; once you quit playing cricket, you are free to give any kind of opinion. He needs to control his quarreling attitude,”
Akmal, who has played in a total of 84 T20 matches, 121 ODIs, and 16 Test matches, last competed in an international game against Sri Lanka at Gaddafi Stadium in 2019.
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