One of the most promising batsmen in his early days, he started his career with a century on his Test debut. He scored his century on his Test debut against New Zealand in 2009. But his career was full of controversy, which led to his downfall. He has not played any international games since 2019.
Umar Akmal has now accused his former head coach, Mickey Arthur, and bowling coach Waqar Younis, for destroying his career. In a media interaction, the wicket-keeper batsman said that Arthur had some personal issues with him and the management never favored him. Notably, the former head coach also accepted that he had a harsh relationship with Umar.
He further said that he had always been ignored. The 32-year-old also requested former Pakistan PM Imran Khan, who discussed with Waqar Yunis about his batting position. However, it never worked out. He said, “I am among those rare cricketers of Pakistan who have been ignored at every turn.”
However, this controversial statement didn’t go well with Arthur. The former head coach hits back at the batter. A Pakistani journalist, Aalia Rasheed, posted Umar’s statement to her official Twitter account. Arthur retweeted it with “Take a look in the mirror Umar!!”
Notably, the former head coach had quite an uproarious relationship with both the Akmal brothers. In 2017, during a press conference, Umar Akmal said that Arthur used abusive words and insulted him. He also revealed that he was told to go and play club cricket. But later, Arthur denied all those clams.