Umar Akmal banned from first T20I against New Zealand

Attacking batsman Umar Akmal has been punished for violating the dress code in a domestic match earlier this week. He will not be available for the first T20I against New Zealand on Friday because of this clothing breach. Akmal has received a one-match ban for breaching the Pakistan Cricket Board’s (PCB) code of conduct.

Pakistan team manager Intikhab Alam said Umar would not be available for the first of three T20Is in Auckland on January 15. He said, “PCB has informed us that Umar Akmal was handed one-match ban by the match referee last week in Karachi for breach of code. The suspension applies to the next game regardless of whatever the format and level is, and we are not going to play him in first T20 against New Zealand but he will be available for next games.”

Umar, playing for the Sui Northern Gas Pipelines Limited, was found to have committed a level one offence by sporting two logos instead of the allowed one on his kit. PCB match referee Anwar Khan warned him but he did not remove the extra logo after which Khan gave him a one-match ban. Department teams such as SNGPL can wear only one logo, which needs to be approved by the PCB, on their uniforms.

According to the PCB’s code of conduct, Umar’s offence was ‘abuse of cricket equipment or clothing, ground equipment or fixtures and fittings during a match.’ He is part of the T20I squad only and will fly back after the third match on January 22 since he wasn’t selected for the 3-match ODI series against the Kiwis.

Umar was initially dropped from the Pakistani squad selected for the 3-match T20I side against England in November last year for allegedly misbehaving with women at a dance party. Though, he was later included in the squad after getting clearance from the police. His career has been chequered with discipline problems. He was dropped from the ODI side after the 2015 World Cup on coach Waqar Younis’s report.