Umar Akmal suspended by PCB under Anti-Corruption Code

Pakistan wicket-keeper Umar Akmal, who was eager to pounce back into the national side, has suffered a major blow by the latest decision issued by the PCB. To plunge more misery on the wicket-keeper batsman, the Pakistan Cricket Board has taken the decision to suspend Akmal with regards to PCB’s Anti-Corruption Board.

The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB), on Thursday, suspended Akmal with immediate effect under Article 4.7.1* of the PCB Anti-Corruption Code due to which the right-hander cannot take part in any cricket-related activity till the investigation is in progress.

As this is an ongoing investigation, the PCB will not make any further comments. Defending champions Quetta Gladiators, who will miss Umar Akmal’s services, have been allowed to apply for the 29-year-old’s replacement in PSL 2020. Quetta Gladiators are slated to lock horns with two-time former champions Islamabad United in the opening encounter of the PSL 2020.

Umar Akmal was scrutinized for his behaviour with a trainer

Akmal had recently come under the scanner for his inappropriate behaviour with a trainer at Pakistan’s NCA in Lahore. However, Akmal was not served with any strict action by the PCB officials for his alleged misconduct.

Ahead of their home series against Bangladesh, all the Pakistan players underwent a fitness test at the NCA including Akmal. However, Akmal’s behaviour with the trainer didn’t go down well as he reportedly stripped his clothes and asked the trainer to find body fat during his body fat test.

The trainer soon reported regarding the incident to Pakistan’s head coach-cum-selector, Misbah-ul-Haq who asked PCB to hold an inquiry for the same. After almost one month post the incident, PCB released a statement saying that Akmal had offered regrets for his action and the board had reprimanded him while reminding him about his responsibilities as a senior cricketer.

The wicket-keeper batsman has also been garnering much attention across the social media due to a picture which he posted with former Pakistan all-rounder Abdul Razzaq. It was the caption of Akmal’s picture which left fans in splits. Akmal posted a selfie with Razzaq on Twitter and mistakenly captioned it– ‘Mother from another brother’ instead of ‘Brother from another mother’. Akmal’s blunder led to hilarious memes galore over the internet to an extent that ‘#UmarAkmalQuote’ started trending on Twitter.

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