Daily Times

LAHORE: Pakistan middle-order batsman Umar Akmal has landed himself in hot waters once again after he has been allegedly accused of misbehaving in the presence of a foreign fitness trainer at the National Cricket Academy in Lahore. According to reports, when the foreign trainer wanted to measure Umar’s body fat, the 29-year-old took off all his clothes angrily and questioned the trainer “Do you see any fat in my body”? The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) is likely to take strict action against Umar after a complaint regarding his inappropriate behaviour has been filed by the coaching staff at the NCA. Umar now finds himself facing the prospect of being kicked out of the next domestic tournament. Umar’s elder brother Kamran is also expected to land in trouble after both brothers failed their fitness tests by significant margins. Salman Butt, too, could be in trouble with the authorities, after he stormed out of a fitness test when his request to have it rescheduled was denied. Both Akmal brothers and Salman have not signed any contracts with their provincial teams, nor with the PCB, and were playing domestic cricket without any contractual obligation.

This is not the first time that Umar has been involved in such an act of indiscipline. Last year, the right-hander had recieved an official reprimand and a fine of 20 percent of his match fee for a late night-out ahead of fifth ODI against Australia in Dubai. Umar pleaded guilty to the charge, apologised for his actions and accepted the sanction proposed by team manager Talat Ali. In an interview, towards the end of 2019, Umar had insisted that he was a changed man and claimed that fans would see a new Umar when they witness him on and off the field in the future.

The shortcomings of the Akmal brothers around their fitness regimes has been a talking point for several years now, with Umar last falling foul of the PCB management on this count under former head coach Mickey Arthur; he was sent home on the eve of the Champions Trophy in 2017 after a failed fitness test. Kamran, meanwhile, has not played for Pakistan since 2017, with his lack of athleticism in the outfield a major reason for his prolonged exclusion. The perception that the Akmal brothers have never quite bought into the importance of maintaining rigorous fitness standards hasn’t helped their chances, and for all the changes that Misbah-ul-Haq has sought to bring since taking over from Arthur, the management’s commitment to high fitness standards remains undiluted. Misbah has sought to impose the same high standards in domestic cricket, with each provincial side required to regulate fitness tests on a quarterly basis.

According to Kamran, Umar did it in mischief and said it was simply a “misunderstanding”. The PCB has confirmed that they are fully aware of the matter, and looking at potential punishments in the context of bringing the game into disrepute. Kamran, meanwhile, skipped two fitness tests, before ending up failing in nearly all departments when he finally did take one. Central Punjab’s squad was called up at the NCA in batches, with Kamran scheduled to appear for his test on January 11. He skipped that test, purportedly because he had a photoshoot with Peshawar Zalmi. His test was then pushed back to January 20, only for him to opt out, informing the management he was suffering from a bout of fever. He would undertake his test on January 28, alongside his brother, with both falling well short of the required benchmarks.

“I had informed the management each time I didn’t come,” Kamran said. “I had reasons and I came on January 28 for the test. As far result is concerned, you will see an improvement in the next test after the PSL.” Misbah has been repeatedly asked about Kamran’s absence from the national side, most recently for the Test squad to face Bangladesh in the first Test at Rawalpindi Stadium on Saturday. “Both of our openers have scored runs, and obviously you only recall a player when there is a place for him,” Misbah had responded. “Certain players are performing so you have to wait.”