Umar Akmal

International career

Umar Akmal was born on May 26, 1990. He played for Pakistan’s national cricket team from 2009 to 2019. He is a right-handed batsman and a part-time bowler. He made his ODI debut on August 1, 2009, against Sri Lanka. He debuted in T20I cricket on August 12, 2009, also against Sri Lanka. His Test debut came on November 23, 2009, against New Zealand. Akmal also played as a wicketkeeper in many ODIs for Pakistan, like his brothers, Adnan and Kamran.

Domestically, Akmal played for Sui Northern Gas Pipelines Limited for eleven years before moving to United Bank Limited in 2017. He also took part in various T20 leagues around the world.

In 2020, Akmal was suspended by the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) after he failed to report corrupt approaches. This led to a three-year ban from cricket. Later, the ban was reduced to 18 months, and then further to 12 months by the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) in February 2021. Along with the reduction, Akmal was fined PKR 4.25 million.

In July 2021, Akmal apologized for not reporting the corrupt approaches. After that, he signed a short-term contract with the Northern California Cricket Association in the United States to play cricket again.

2009

• Test debut: November 23, 2009, against New Zealand at Dunedin. Akmal scored 129 runs in his first Test match. He became the second Pakistani player to score a century on debut away from home.
• ODI debut: August 1, 2009, against Sri Lanka at Dambulla. Akmal scored 50 runs in his second ODI match.
• T20I debut: August 12, 2009, against Sri Lanka at Colombo (RPS).

2010

• ODI performances: Akmal scored 41 not out in an ODI match against the West Indies, helping Pakistan win the match.
• World Cup debut: Akmal played his first World Cup match and scored 71 runs off 52 balls. He was named Man of the Match.
• ODI Series vs. England: Akmal kept wicket temporarily in place of his injured brother Kamran and played some good innings, including 26 runs in 3 matches.

2011

• Last Test match: Akmal played his final Test match against Zimbabwe in September 2011, scoring just 15 runs. He was dropped after that match and has not been recalled since.
• ODI Series vs. Sri Lanka: Akmal played in this series but struggled with his performance.

2012

• ODI Series vs. England: Akmal played as a wicketkeeper but missed key dismissals in the first two ODIs, allowing English batsmen to score big.
• 2012 World Twenty20: Pakistan reached the semi-finals but lost to Sri Lanka. Akmal was part of the squad.

2013-2014

• Akmal did not play many matches during this period. He was dropped from both the ODI and T20 squads due to fitness issues.

2015

• ODI and T20I performances: Akmal was dropped from the ODI series against Sri Lanka but was recalled for the T20I series. He scored 46 runs off 24 balls in the first T20I match.
• Fitness issues: Akmal continued to struggle with his fitness, which affected his performances.

2016

• World Twenty20: Akmal played in the 2016 World T20. Afterward, he was dropped from the T20 squad due to discipline issues.
• T20I series against West Indies: Akmal was recalled but played only one match, scoring 1 not out.

2017

• ODI Series vs. West Indies: Akmal was not included in the squad due to fitness problems. He was called up for the ICC Champions Trophy but failed the fitness test and was replaced by Haris Sohail.
• Dropped from central contracts: Akmal was removed from Pakistan’s list of centrally contracted players in July 2017 due to ongoing fitness issues.

2018

• Akmal did not play any international matches during this time. His fitness and disciplinary issues kept him out of the team.

2019

• ODI series against Australia: Akmal was recalled to the squad for the series in the UAE. He played 5 matches and scored 150 runs at an average of 30, with a top score of 43 runs off 44 balls.
• 2019 Cricket World Cup: Akmal was not selected for the World Cup squad, despite being part of the training camp.
• T20I series vs. Sri Lanka: Akmal was recalled but scored two golden ducks in the first two matches and was dropped.

2019 Statistics:

• ODI Career: Akmal played 121 ODIs, scoring 3,194 runs with an average of 34. He hit 268 fours and 53 sixes. His last ODI was in March 2019 against Australia.
• T20I Career: Akmal played 84 T20Is, scoring 1,690 runs with an average of 26. He hit 122 fours and 55 sixes. His last T20I match was in October 2019 against Sri Lanka.

Akmal’s international career included moments of brilliance, but his progress was often interrupted by fitness issues and discipline problems. Despite the challenges, he remains an important part of Pakistan's cricket history.

Leagues Participation

Umar Akmal has played in multiple domestic and T20 leagues during his career. He has competed in the Pakistan Super League and the Caribbean Premier League, contributing to his teams in these high-profile tournaments.

Pakistan Super League

Umar Akmal played in the Pakistan Super League for several teams. He joined Lahore Qalandars in 2016 and became the top scorer, getting 335 runs in seven matches. Despite his good performance, the team did not reach the play-offs. He was kept by Lahore Qalandars for the next season but scored only 164 runs in 8 matches. His performance dropped, and due to disciplinary issues, he was dropped from the team during the third season. Akmal moved to Quetta Gladiators for the 2019 season, scoring 277 runs in 12 matches. He was meant to play for Quetta Gladiators in 2020, but he was removed from the squad after being suspended by the PCB for breaking anti-corruption rules.

Year	Team	Notes
2016	Lahore Qalandars	Scored 335 runs, team did not qualify for the play-offs.
2017	Lahore Qalandars	Scored 164 runs from 8 matches with one half-century.
2018	Lahore Qalandars	Dropped from the team due to poor performance and disciplinary issues.
2019	Quetta Gladiators	Scored 277 runs in 12 matches.
2020	Quetta Gladiators	Removed from the squad after suspension by PCB.

Caribbean Premier League

Umar Akmal played for three teams in the Caribbean Premier League. He joined the Barbados Tridents in 2013, then the Guyana Amazon Warriors in 2015, and finally the Trinbago Knight Riders in 2016. During his time with the Barbados Tridents, Akmal had to go to the hospital after experiencing mild seizures. The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) sent him for a full medical check-up and pulled him from the upcoming Zimbabwe tour. After the check-up, a neurologist said that the seizures were likely caused by lack of sleep.

Year	Team	Notes
2013	Barbados Tridents	Hospitalized after seizures; cleared by a neurologist.
2015	Guyana Amazon Warriors	-
2016	Trinbago Knight Riders	-

Domestic career

Umar Akmal started his career by playing for Pakistan in the 2008 U-19 Cricket World Cup. After his success in the tournament, he got a contract to play first-class cricket for Sui Northern Gas. In his early first-class matches, he scored 248 runs off 225 balls in his sixth match and 186 off 170 balls in his eighth. His second season, however, was not as good, and he struggled with low scores while batting at number 3.

In the 2008/09 season, Akmal regained form and played well in the RBS T20 tournament. His strong performances led to his selection for the Pakistan A team’s tour of Australia. During this tour, he scored well and made a century in an unofficial ODI. After his successful tour, Akmal was called up to the Pakistan national team later that year and debuted in Test, ODI, and T20I matches.

Akmal continued to play for Sui Northern Gas in the Quaid-e-Azam Trophy until 2016-17, helping the team win three titles. Although he was dropped for the 2012 President's Trophy, he went on to play for other teams like United Bank Limited, Habib Bank Limited, Lahore Lions, Balochistan, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, and Central Punjab. He was the top run-scorer for Habib Bank Limited in the 2018–19 Quaid-e-Azam One Day Cup, scoring 410 runs in ten matches.

In the 2019 Pakistan Cup, Akmal scored 136 in his opening match, the highest score of his List A career, and finished as the tournament's top scorer with 342 runs. In 2019-20, Akmal was named man of the match in the final of the Quaid-e-Azam Trophy, where Central Punjab won the title.

Other Leagues

Umar Akmal has played in different leagues around the world. He took part in the Sri Lankan Premier League, Big Bash, Bangladesh Premier League, T20 Blast, and Global T20 Canada. Here is a list of his participation:

• Sri Lankan Premier League (SLPL) 2012
  Akmal joined Wayamba United, playing in two matches and scoring 13 runs. The league folded after that season.
• Big Bash 2012-13
  Akmal was selected by Sydney Sixers but did not play in any matches.
• Bangladesh Premier League (BPL)
  • 2015-16: Akmal played for Chittagong Vikings. The team finished at the bottom of the group.
  • 2016-17: He played for Rajshahi Kings, appearing in nine matches and scoring 106 runs with an average of 13.25.
• T20 Blast
  • 2015: Akmal played for Leicestershire Foxes in four matches, scoring 133 runs with an average of 33.25. He scored two fifties and had a high score of 76.
  • 2016: He continued with Leicestershire Foxes, playing six matches and scoring 134 runs with an average of 33.5. He scored one fifty.

Global T20 Canada 2019
Akmal joined the Winnipeg Hawks in the 2019 Global T20 Canada tournament.

Records and achievements

Umar Akmal has achieved a lot throughout his cricket career. Below are some of his key records and awards:

• Test debut (2009): Scored 129 runs against New Zealand at 19 years old.
• 2018-19 Quaid-e-Azam One Day Cup: Scored 410 runs in 10 matches as the top scorer for Habib Bank Limited.
• 2019 Pakistan Cup: Scored 136 in the first match, his highest score in List A cricket.
• ODI Career: Played 120 matches and scored 3,195 runs, including 2 centuries and 20 half-centuries. His highest score is 102.
• T10 Matches: Played 5 matches, scoring 139 runs with a high score of 41. He scored 30+ runs in 4 matches.
• Quaid-e-Azam Trophy 2018: Named best player in the final, receiving Rs 100,000.

Personal life

Umar Akmal's personal life has attracted attention both on and off the cricket field. He has faced various ups and downs, from his family background to controversies and his loyal fan following.

Finance

Umar Akmal, the Pakistani cricketer, has an estimated net worth of $2.8 million. His yearly earnings from cricket are over Rs 1 crore. He also makes money from other sources like advertisements and commercials.

Family

Umar was born to Mohammad Akmal Siddique, who worked as a senior administrator in Pakistan cricket. He has a large family with eight children, including seven brothers who also played cricket, though some chose business. His sister is not involved in cricket. Umar is the youngest brother of Adnan and Kamran Akmal, both wicketkeepers. Umar is also related to Pakistan's batsman Babar Azam. In 2014, he married Noor Amna, the daughter of Pakistan leg-spinner Abdul Qadir.

Scandals

On February 20, 2020, Akmal was suspended by the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) under their anti-corruption code. This suspension kept him out of that year's Pakistan Super League. Later, the PCB charged him with two violations of its anti-corruption rules for not reporting approaches about possible match-fixing. Akmal admitted he had been approached by two people but failed to inform the PCB. He was banned from cricket for three years, but the suspension was later reduced. The Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) shortened his ban to 12 months.

Umar has been involved in several incidents during his career. In 2009–10, he was accused of faking an injury to protest the removal of his brother Kamran from the team, but he denied this. He was fined and put on probation by the PCB for speaking to the media without permission. His name also came up in the Pakistan cricket spot-fixing scandal, though no evidence of wrongdoing was found. In 2012, he was fined for ignoring the umpires' orders during a match against Sri Lanka.

Akmal had multiple off-field issues, including a 2014 arrest for an altercation with a traffic warden. He was also involved in a scandalous wedding party, and in 2015, was dropped from the T20 squad for misbehaving at a party. Further incidents followed, such as wearing the wrong team logo during a match in 2016, which led to another suspension. In 2017, Akmal criticized Pakistan's coach, Mickey Arthur, which resulted in a fine and a suspension.

In 2018, he revealed in an interview that he had been offered money to fix matches during the 2015 World Cup, but denied accepting the offer. In 2019, Akmal was fined for breaking team curfew, and in 2020, he caused controversy by exposing himself during a fitness test. Despite all these issues, Akmal’s cricket career continues.

Fans

In 2023, Akmal spoke about how Indian fans treated him. He said he felt at home when playing in India and appreciated the love and respect from the Indian crowd. He also mentioned in a podcast that he respects Pakistani fans and keeps some secrets to avoid disappointing them. In 2020, Akmal apologized to both his fans and the PCB for not reporting attempted bribery before the Pakistan Super League.

Akmal has a significant social media presence, with around 315k followers on Instagram.