Umar Akmal to Make His Comeback to Pakistan Cricket

Pakistan’s controversy-prone middle-order batter, Umar Akmal, will finally return to Pakistan’s domestic set up after the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) has allowed him to take part in the ongoing Quaid-e-Azam Trophy.

Akmal will be a part of the Balochistan squad from the next round of matches. Balochistan currently sit at the fifth spot with 49 points from 5 matches. With the tournament already halfway through, Balochistan will be looking towards Akmal to provide the stability in their fragile middle-order.

The 31-year old recently returned to competitive cricket after being banned by the PCB for failing to report corrupt approaches. Akmal was initially banned for a period of three years before his ban was reduced to 18 months. The ban was further reduced to 12 months by the Court of Arbitration of Sport (CAS) and a hefty fine of Rs. 4.25 million was imposed on the flamboyant middle-order batter.

Akmal returned to cricket a few months ago and took part in the PCB Cricket Associations T20 tournament but failed to impress as he looked rusty upon his comeback. Akmal then decided to take part in Northern California Cricket Association in the USA but again failed to impress as he got out on a duck in his first innings in the competition.

The hard-hitting batter is expected to head out to Karachi to take part in the remainder of the Quaid-e-Azam Trophy. Akmal had previously stated that his only aim is to get back into the national team but with his poor run of form, it looks like a distant dream. The Quaid-e-Azam Trophy will provide the perfect opportunity for the player to showcase his credentials and stake a claim to get picked in the upcoming PSL 7 draft.