Pakistan's Umar Akmal has moved to the U.S. in search of better opportunities
Pakistan's wicketkeeper-batsman Umar Akmal is currently plying his trade for the California Zalmi in the latest edition of the Premier C league. The right-hander was unable to secure a deal with the top domestic teams in Pakistan and has moved to the United States of America to play league cricket.
While the right-hander has completed his suspension for violating the Pakistan Cricket Board's (PCB) anti-corruption code, he has not featured in the country's premier domestic competitions. H also failed to make the cut for the ongoing National T20 Cup.
According to a report on ESPNcricinfo, Akmal's family members have confirmed that he has departed for the USA in search of better prospects. However, they clarified that older brother Kamran Akmal did not have a say in Umar's decision.
One of Akmal's family members claimed that the cricketer had received unfair treatment from the Pakistani board. The family member pointed out how several players have got the backing to make a comeback despite their bans and said:
"There are a few others who were banned with bigger charges but given unprecedented support to make a comeback. The system was never fair to Umar. There were blatant compromises made to select a few players with poor fitness but the benchmark was made tighter for him [Umar] to make sure keep him out."
Earlier this year, the 31-year-old had apologized for not reporting spot-fixing approaches ahead of the Pakistan Super League (2020). In a video shared by the PCB, the cricketer admitted to having made a mistake and asked for forgiveness from the board as well as fans.
Umar Akmal's stats in international cricket
The talented batter has featured in 16 Test matches for Pakistan, in which he has 1003 runs to his name. In white-ball cricket, Akmal has amassed 3194 and 1690 runs in 124 ODIs and 84 T20Is respectively