Umar Akmal facts for kids
Akmal in New Zealand in December 2009
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| Personal information | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Full name |
Umar Akmal
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| Born | 26 May 1990 Lahore, Punjab, Pakistan |
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| Batting | Right-handed | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Bowling | Right-arm off spin | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Role | Middle-order batsman | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Relations |
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| International information | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| National side |
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| Test debut (cap 197) | 24 November 2009 v New Zealand | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Last Test | 1 September 2011 v Zimbabwe | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| ODI debut (cap 174) | 1 August 2009 v Sri Lanka | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Last ODI | 31 March 2019 v Australia | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| ODI shirt no. | 96 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| T20I debut (cap 34) | 12 August 2009 v Sri Lanka | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Last T20I | 7 October 2019 v Sri Lanka | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Domestic team information | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Years | Team | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2007–2017 | Sui Northern Gas Pipelines | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2008–2015 | Lahore Lions | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2012 | Wayamba United | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2013 | Barbados Tridents | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2015 | Guyana Amazon Warriors | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2015 | Chittagong Vikings | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2015–2016 | Leicestershire | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2016 | Rajshahi Kings | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2016–2018 | Lahore Qalandars (squad no. 96) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2016 | Trinbago Knight Riders (squad no. 96) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2016, 2019 | Balochistan | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2017 | Punjab | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2017/18 | United Bank Limited | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2018 | Khyber Pakhtunkhwa | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2018–2019 | Habib Bank Limited | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2019–2022 | Quetta Gladiators (squad no. 96) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2019–2020 | Central Punjab | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Career statistics | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Source: ESPN Cricinfo, 12 September 2022
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Umar Akmal (born May 26, 1990) is a Pakistani cricketer. He played for the Pakistan national cricket team from 2009 to 2019. He is a right-handed batsman and sometimes bowls off spin.
Umar Akmal made his first big international game (ODI) on August 1, 2009. This was against Sri Lanka. He then played his first T20 International game on August 12, 2009, also against Sri Lanka. His first Test match was on November 23, 2009, against New Zealand. Like his brothers, Adnan and Kamran, Umar has also played as a wicket-keeper for Pakistan in many ODI matches.
In his local career, he played for Sui Northern Gas Pipelines Limited for many years. Later, he joined United Bank Limited. He has also played for many different T20 teams around the world.
In 2020, the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) suspended him. This happened because he did not report some suspicious offers he received. He was banned from playing cricket for three years. He appealed this decision, and his ban was later reduced to one-and-a-half years. In 2021, the ban was reduced again to 12 months. He also had to pay a fine of about 27,000 US dollars. In July 2021, he apologized for not reporting the offers. After his ban ended, he went to play cricket in the United States.
Contents
Early Life and Family
Umar Akmal was born on May 26, 1990. His father, Mohammad Akmal Siddique, was an important person in Pakistan cricket. Umar comes from a big family with eight children. Seven of his brothers played cricket at some point.
He is the youngest brother of Adnan Akmal and Kamran Akmal. Both of his older brothers are also cricketers and play as wicket-keepers. Umar is also the cousin of another famous Pakistani batsman, Babar Azam.
In 2014, Umar Akmal married Noor Amna. She is the daughter of the famous Pakistani leg-spinner Abdul Qadir.
Early and Local Cricket Career
Umar Akmal played for Pakistan in the 2008 U/19 Cricket World Cup in Malaysia. After doing well there, he got a contract to play first-class cricket. He played in the Quaid-e-Azam Trophy for the Sui Northern Gas team.
He is known for his aggressive batting style. In only his sixth first-class match, he scored 248 runs very quickly. He hit four sixes in that game. In his eighth first-class match, he scored an unbeaten 186 runs.
Umar Akmal showed great form during the Australia A tour in 2009. He scored 100 not out and 130 in two unofficial Test matches. In the ODI series, he scored a century in just 68 balls. These strong performances led to him being chosen for the main Pakistan team. Later that year, he made his debut in Test, ODI, and T20I cricket.
He played for Sui Northern Gas until 2017. During this time, his team won the Quaid-e-Azam Trophy three times. He also played for United Bank Limited and Habib Bank Limited, winning the Quaid-e-Azam Trophy with Habib Bank Limited in 2019.
Umar Akmal also played for the Lahore Lions in the National T20 Cup. His team won this tournament three times. In 2019, he was the top run-scorer in the Pakistan Cup, scoring 342 runs in five matches. He also helped Central Punjab win the 2019–20 Quaid-e-Azam Trophy and was named man of the match in the final.
Test Cricket Journey
Umar Akmal played his first Test match against New Zealand on November 23, 2009. This game was played in Dunedin. In his very first Test match, he scored 129 runs from 160 balls. This made him only the second Pakistani player to score a century in his debut Test match away from home.
He also became the first Pakistani batsman to score his first Test and ODI centuries away from home. His century was very important because Pakistan was in a difficult situation in the match. He also had a great partnership with his elder brother, Kamran. In the second part of that match, he scored another fifty.
In his second Test match, he batted higher in the order, at number 3. He scored 46 runs before getting out. Later, he moved back to his usual spot at number 5 and scored 52 runs very quickly. He finished that tour with 379 runs, averaging 63.16.
Umar Akmal played his last Test match in 2011 against Zimbabwe. He scored 15 runs in that game. After this match, he was not chosen for the Test team again.
ODI and Twenty20 Cricket Journey
Umar Akmal once said his dream was to play for Pakistan with his brother, Kamran. He was chosen for Pakistan's One Day International (ODI) team in 2009.
He made his ODI debut in the second match against Sri Lanka. In only his second ODI game, he scored his first fifty. In the very next match, he scored his first ODI century. He was given the "Man of the Match" award for this winning effort. These great performances helped him get a spot in Pakistan's team for the 2009 ICC Champions Trophy.
His score of 41 not out against West Indies helped Pakistan win. He was again named "Man of the Match." In the semi-final against New Zealand, he scored a quick 55 runs.
In 2010, he temporarily played as a wicket-keeper in an ODI against England. This happened because his elder brother Kamran was injured. In his first Cricket World Cup match, Umar Akmal scored 71 runs and was named "Man of the Match."
In 2012, Pakistan played England in four ODIs. Umar Akmal was chosen as the wicket-keeper because of his batting skills. However, he missed some chances to get players out early in those games.
He was part of Pakistan's team for the 2012 ICC World Twenty20. Pakistan reached the semi-final but lost to Sri Lanka.
In 2015, he was not chosen for the ODI series against Sri Lanka. But he was called up for the T20I series. He showed his worth by scoring 46 runs from just 24 balls in the first T20I.
Umar Akmal was later suspended from a T20I series against England for a short time. This was for going to a party without permission. But he was later cleared and allowed to play. He was the highest run-scorer for Pakistan in a T20 series against New Zealand in 2016.
He played in the 2016 ICC World Twenty20. After this, he was not chosen for the T20 team for a while. He was also left out of a training camp due to behavior issues.
In 2019, Umar Akmal was called back to the ODI team for a series against Australia. He scored 150 runs in five games. He was also fined for breaking team rules before a match.
He was not chosen for the 2019 Cricket World Cup team. In October 2019, he was recalled to the T20 team for a series against Sri Lanka. However, he got out for zero runs in his first two games. This meant he was dropped from the team again. He holds the record for the second most "ducks" (getting out for zero runs) in Twenty20 cricket history.
T20 Franchise Cricket
Umar Akmal has played for many different T20 teams around the world.
Pakistan Super League
The Lahore Qalandars team bought Umar Akmal in the 2016 season. He played very well and was the highest run-scorer in the tournament. He scored 335 runs with four half-centuries. His team did not make it to the play-offs that year. He continued to play for Lahore Qalandars in 2017 and 2018.
In 2019, Umar Akmal joined the Quetta Gladiators team. He scored 277 runs in 12 matches for them. He was supposed to play for Quetta Gladiators in the 2020 season. However, he was suspended by the PCB just before the tournament started. This was due to an investigation into suspicious offers.
Caribbean Premier League
Umar Akmal played in the Caribbean Premier League for three seasons. He played for the Barbados Tridents in 2013. He also played for the Guyana Amazon Warriors in 2015 and the Trinbago Knight Riders in 2016.
While playing for the Barbados Tridents in 2013, he had a health issue and spent a night in the hospital. The Pakistan Cricket Board called him back for a medical check-up. He was cleared by doctors, who said the issue was likely due to not enough sleep.
Other Leagues
Umar Akmal also played in the Sri Lanka Premier League in 2012. He played two games in that league.
He was chosen for the Sydney Sixers in Australia's Big Bash League in 2012-13. However, he did not play any games for them.
He played in the Bangladesh Premier League for two seasons. He played for the Chittagong Vikings in 2015-16. He then played for the Rajshahi Kings in 2016-17.
Umar Akmal also spent two seasons (2015 and 2016) playing in the T20 Blast in England. He played for the Leicestershire Foxes. In 2015, he scored 133 runs in four games, including two half-centuries.
In 2019, he was chosen to play for the Winnipeg Hawks in the 2019 Global T20 Canada tournament.
Ban for Not Reporting Offers
On February 20, 2020, Umar Akmal was temporarily stopped from playing cricket by the PCB. This was because he did not tell cricket officials about suspicious offers he had received. It is very important for players to report any such offers right away.
The PCB officially charged him for not reporting these offers. Umar Akmal admitted that he was approached by two different people. However, he did not report these approaches to the PCB.
Because of this, the PCB banned him from all cricket for three years. This ban was supposed to last until February 19, 2023. Some thought the ban was longer because he did not show enough regret.
Umar Akmal appealed his ban. In July 2020, his ban was reduced to one-and-a-half years. This meant his suspension would end in August 2021. Both the PCB and Akmal appealed this decision further.
Finally, in February 2021, his ban was reduced again to 12 months. This meant he could return to playing cricket right away. However, he first had to complete a special program. He also had to pay a fine of about 4.25 million Pakistani rupees, which is around 27,000 US dollars.
