Kamran Akmal reveals the reason behind his on-field fights with Gautam Gambhir and Ishant Sharma

Kamran Akmal had a decent career with Pakistan national cricket team. At 38, it is highly unlikely that he will make a comeback into the side again. However, the memory of Akmal for many Indian fans would include his two infamous on-field clashes. There were instances where Akmal got into an on-field fight with Indian players. One of those instances was with Gautam Gambhir while the other involved Ishant Sharma.

During the Asia Cup 2010 match between India and Pakistan in Dambulla, Gautam Gambhir and Kamran Akmal got into a heated argument between overs. The two players kept having a go at each other until the umpires intervened. MS Dhoni was batting with Gambhir at the time and he took Gambhir on the side and calmed him down.

‘We meet regularly, have food together’: Kamran Akmal

Talking about this clash with Gambhir, Akmal said it happened because of a misunderstanding. He also revealed that off the field he and Gambhir are good friends as they have played a lot of cricket for ‘A’ teams of their respective countries. He also said that he often meets the ex-Indian cricketer for meals.

“It was all due to misunderstanding and happened in the heat of the moment then. Gautam and I are good friends because we have played a lot in ‘A’ cricket. We meet regularly, have food together,” Akmal said about his clash with Gambhir during a show named “Cow Corner Corner” on Youtube.

After this, Akmal also talked about his infamous on-field clash against Ishant Sharma. The Pakistan wicket-keeper and the Indian pacer got into a heated argument during a T20I match in Bengaluru in 2012. Akmal revealed that even this happened to a misunderstanding. He also called Gambhir and Ishant good boys, saying that his team respects them and vice versa.

“It was all due to me not understanding what he said. The same with Ishant at Bangalore. You know me I don’t say much on the field. Both Gautam and Ishant are very good boys. We respect them and they respect us. What happens on the field, stays there,” Akmal added. Akmal played 53 Tests, 157 ODIs and 58 T20Is for Pakistan between 2002 and 2017.