Umar Akmal Recounts Disheartening Exchange with Wahab Riaz

Umar Akmal, the seasoned Pakistani batsman, has spoken candidly regarding his attempts to rejoin the national cricket team. He revealed a discouraging interaction with Wahab Riaz, the former chief selector, when Akmal voiced his availability.

In a recent interview, Akmal detailed how his aspirations for a team recall were met with an unexpected inquiry.

“I consistently expressed my desire to participate, only to be questioned about whether I had participated in trials,” Akmal stated. “Wahab Riaz questioned, ‘Have you played in trial matches?’ I responded, ‘What are you talking about?’ I confirmed my availability for selection.”

The 34-year-old, whose last appearance for Pakistan was in 2019 during a home series against Sri Lanka, conveyed his disappointment at being asked to undergo trial matches, particularly given his substantial experience. Akmal’s career includes 16 Test matches, 121 ODIs, and 84 T20Is for Pakistan.

Moreover, the wicketkeeper batsman reiterated his previous critique of Waqar Younis, the former head coach of Pakistan, recalling an instance where Waqar failed to acknowledge his century in a Test match.

Instead, Waqar commented, “You’ve started incorporating T20 cricket into Tests.” Akmal also remembered a sarcastic remark from Waqar following his dismissal in the second innings: “Where is your T20 cricket now?”

The right-handed batter disclosed that these comments were disheartening and negatively affected his confidence during his early career.

Notably, Umar Akmal has amassed 1,003 Test runs across 16 matches, 3,194 runs in 121 ODIs, and 1,690 runs in 84 T20Is.

He is currently unattached to any franchise in the ongoing Pakistan Super League (PSL) 10, having previously represented the Lahore Qalandars and Quetta Gladiators from 2016 to 2023.

In the PSL, Akmal has accumulated 1,029 runs in 43 matches, maintaining an average of 30.26 and a strike rate of 144.31, with eight half-centuries.