Early comparisons were made to Inzamam-ul-Haq and other rising stars of the current generation, including Virat Kohli of India. However, 5 years on, the demise of Umar Akmal has been remarkable. After showing so much potential and promise in the initial years, what went wrong for Umar?
Although a combination of poor form and disciple have contributed; I feel the main culprit for Umar’s downfall has been the Pakistan team management. Why?
In the 200 international games played by Umar – he has been constantly moved around the batting order, and thus been often wasted in the lower middle order. A majority of his dismissals have unsurprisingly involved him playing big shots in an attempt to increase the score while batting with the tail. Moreover, handing him the wicket keeping duties have further convoluted his role in the side. It was a silly error of judgement to hand him the gloves – not only did he have little success wicket keeping, but it also no doubt led to further lowering his confidence.
Umar was initially very confident of his abilities and had the unique ability to handle pressure. Unlike recent players to have played for Pakistan - he is a genuine match-winner. His counter attacking style of play has produced some of the most courageous Pakistani innings I have seen in recent time. Who can forget the way he took Pakistan over the line against Australia (2011 World Cup) and South Africa (2012 T20 World Cup); and his blistering stroke play against the short pitched bowling of Johnson, Nannes, Tait and Starc in the 2010 and 2014 T20 World Cups.
Moreover, Umar has also had relatively impressive Test tours to New Zealand, Australia and England. The current Pakistani batsmen are bolstering their average playing on placid surfaces in the UAE - it will be interesting to see whether they have the technique or temperament to succeed in more testing conditions abroad.
It’s extremely disappointing to see how Akmal is constantly bullied and made a scapegoat by the Pakistani Cricket Board. The recent petty one match ban for a dress code violation in a domestic game at the start of the recent New Zealand series (which was eventually revoked) is a classic case in point. Umar has been constantly singled out for his behaviour, while other players seem to be treated with greater leniency.
Discipline is important within any team, but it should be imposed with consistency across all the players in a team. Perhaps Umar’s soft natured and non-confrontational approach has made him an easy target.
Being the brother of Kamran Akmal is also not helping Umar’s case. Kamran is notoriously recognised as one of the shadiest Pakistani cricketers of recent times. Known for his comical wicketkeeping, the sideffects of this are being felt by Umar. This negative stereotype is particularly held by a strong contingent of fans and is unfairly used as ammunition against him.
The above said, Umar still needs to evolve his game in several aspects, notably more disciplined strokeplay and improve his conversion ratios from initial starts to 50/100+ scores.
However, the bottom line still remains that the PCB must carefully groom and nurture this rare batting talent. Pakistan only needs to look across the border and learn how India has developed the career of Virat Kohli and realise the extent of their failings with Umar Akmal.
With age on his side (Akmal is still only 25), the PCB must act quickly and start afresh. In my opinion, Umar Akmal could be the x-factor that Pakistan need for the upcoming year.
Omar is an Oxford University graduate and is working as a management consultant in London. He has recently completed his MBA from INSEAD. As well as being a keen player, he regularly travels to follow the Pakistan team overseas.
KARACHI - Following are the foreign currency exchange rates for US Dollar, Saudi Riyal, UK Pound Sterling, U.A.E. Dirham, European Euro, and other foreign currencies in Pakistan open market on February 4, 2023 (Saturday).
Source: Forex Association of Pakistan. (last update 09:00 AM)
Currency | Symbol | Buying | Selling |
US Dollar | USD | 279.9 | 283.2 |
Euro | EUR | 300.98 | 301.58 |
UK Pound Sterling | GBP | 337.01 | 337.71 |
U.A.E Dirham | AED | 75.14 | 75.44 |
Saudi Riyal | SAR | 73.55 | 73.85 |
Australian Dollar | AUD | 189 | 192 |
Bahrain Dinar | BHD | 712.72 | 720.69 |
Canadian Dollar | CAD | 200 | 202.2 |
China Yuan | CNY | 39.67 | 39.73 |
Danish Krone | DKK | 39.33 | 39.73 |
Hong Kong Dollar | HKD | 34.19 | 34.54 |
Indian Rupee | INR | 3.28 | 3.39 |
Japanese Yen | JPY | 2.5 | 2.54 |
Kuwaiti Dinar | KWD | 878 | 887 |
Malaysian Ringgit | MYR | 62.83 | 63.43 |
New Zealand Dollar | NZD | 173.25 | 175.25 |
Norwegians Krone | NOK | 26.79 | 27.09 |
Omani Riyal | OMR | 696.08 | 704.08 |
Qatari Riyal | QAR | 73.62 | 74.32 |
Singapore Dollar | SGD | 204 | 206 |
Swedish Korona | SEK | 25.61 | 25.91 |
Swiss Franc | CHF | 291.69 | 294.19 |
Thai Bhat | THB | 8.15 | 8.30 |
KARACHI – The price of a single tola of 24-karat gold in Pakistan is Rs 205,200 on Saturday. The price of 10 grams of 24k gold was recorded at Rs175,930.
Likewise, 10 grams of 22k gold were being traded for Rs167,318 while a single tola of 22-karat gold was being sold at Rs 195,157.
Note: The gold rate in Pakistan is fluctuating according to the international market so the price is never been fixed. The below rates are provided by local gold markets and Sarafa Markets of different cities.
City | Gold | Silver |
Lahore | PKR 205,200 | PKR 2,430 |
Karachi | PKR 205,200 | PKR 2,430 |
Islamabad | PKR 205,200 | PKR 2,430 |
Peshawar | PKR 205,200 | PKR 2,430 |
Quetta | PKR 205,200 | PKR 2,430 |
Sialkot | PKR 205,200 | PKR 2,430 |
Attock | PKR 205,200 | PKR 2,430 |
Gujranwala | PKR 205,200 | PKR 2,430 |
Jehlum | PKR 205,200 | PKR 2,430 |
Multan | PKR 205,200 | PKR 2,430 |
Bahawalpur | PKR 205,200 | PKR 2,430 |
Gujrat | PKR 205,200 | PKR 2,430 |
Nawabshah | PKR 205,200 | PKR 2,430 |
Chakwal | PKR 205,200 | PKR 2,430 |
Hyderabad | PKR 205,200 | PKR 2,430 |
Nowshehra | PKR 205,200 | PKR 2,430 |
Sargodha | PKR 205,200 | PKR 2,430 |
Faisalabad | PKR 205,200 | PKR 2,430 |
Mirpur | PKR 205,200 | PKR 2,430 |
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