PCB believes that the whole issue has been put up by Akmal in order to divert from his fitness issue. (Source: File)
Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) in their press release on Friday lashed out at Umar Akmal, after their recent bitter war-of-words with coach Mickey Arthur. PCB believes that the whole issue has been put up by Akmal in order to divert attention from his fitness issue. On Friday, PCB also issued a show-cause notice to Akmal. His recent claims on coach Arthur have been described as ‘bogus attempt’ to divert attention from his own failings.
The press release issued by the PCB said, “While making frivolous allegations against the national team management, Umar has made a bogus attempt to deviate attention from his own failings. He was given as many as seven chances to improve his fitness and match the standards of his teammates, laid out by the team management. He was given a program to improve his fitness like other players before the West Indies tour and after he failed the tests in Lahore, he was left out of the team.”
Earlier in May, Akmal was unable to clear his fitness test in England, due to which he did not feature in the ICC Champions Trophy. “After clearing another test before the squad selection on eve of the ICC Champions Trophy in England, Umar was included in the eventual 15 member squad.
“The PCB wants to stress that the team trainer conducts fitness tests of squad members before each international assignment and the tests before the Champions Trophy were conducted as a continuation of the policy. Once again Umar failed to attain the desired level of fitness and the team management was left with no option but to drop him from the squad.”, the release said.
On Wednesday, Arthur was accused by Akmal of verbal abuse at the National Cricket Academy. “After I recovered, I went to the NCA to start working on my fitness and training but the coaching staff doesn’t want to work with me at all. I then went to talk to Inzi bhai (Inzamam-ul-Haq), but he referred me to Mickey Arthur. Arthur took me back to Inzi bhai’s room and started scolding me and using bad language in front of Inzi bhai, which I found demeaning and insulting. It’s not even my fault, and I find it painful that anyone should be allowed to swear at me,” Akmal told reporters.
“I accept my fitness isn’t up to the mark, and I am trying to work on it, and I asked to be allowed a trainer to help me. But Mickey said I shouldn’t even have come to the NCA, and should be playing club cricket instead. When the head coach is allowed to swear at someone whenever they wish, that is unacceptable.”
Arthur on the other hand, did not agree with Akmal’s allegations, saying: “I never stopped him from using the academy. Umar Akmal cannot expect that the support staff, who are for contracted players, are at his beck and call.”
According to PCB, Akmal was given several chances by Arthur for redemption. “Head Coach Mickey Arthur had placed Umar in his white ball format plans and gave him repeated chances for redemption. Unfortunately though, the batsman remained incapable of reaching the requisite fitness level. The PCB awaits his response to the show-cause issued to him yesterday and hopes that in the meantime, the batsman will refrain from making baseless allegations.”, the release said.
