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Veteran Pakistan batter Umar Akmal has made a fresh revelation about his attempts to return to the national setup, highlighting the reaction of former chief selector Wahab Riaz to his availability.
In an interview with a private TV channel, Akmal claimed that when he reached out to Wahab about a potential comeback, he was met with a surprising counter-question.
“I keep saying that I want to play, and I’m being asked if I appeared in trials,” Umar said.
“Wahab Riaz asked me, ‘Have you played trial matches?’ I was like, ‘What are you talking about?’ I told him that I am available,” he revealed
The right-hander, who last played for Pakistan in 2019 during a home series against Sri Lanka, expressed disappointment at being asked to go through trial matches, especially given his experience—16 Tests, 121 ODIs, and 84 T20Is for the country.
It’s worth noting that recently, in another interview, Umar Akmal reignited his past criticism of Waqar Younis, revealing the kind of treatment he received even after performing well.
“I once scored a century in a Test match, and instead of being appreciated, Waqar bhai said, ‘You’ve started playing T20 cricket in Tests,’” he shared.
He added that after being dismissed in the second innings of that match, Waqar sarcastically commented, “Where’s your T20 cricket now?”
Akmal said remarks like these were disheartening and left a lasting impact on his confidence as a young cricketer.
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