Umar Akmal strikes controversy after allegedly abusing coach in dressing room

Umar Akmal in the 2011 World Cup

Pakistan wicket keeper-batsman Umar Akmal has created a ruckus and landed himself into trouble once again. During the final match of the Quad-e-Azam trophy in Lahore, the 26-year-old has been reported to have abused and misbehaved with his domestic coach, Basit Ali.

The incident took place in the dressing room of the National Stadium, Lahore yesterday.

Playing for the Sui Northern Gas Pipelines (SNGPL) team, the Pakistan international player was reportedly unhappy at his demotion in the batting line-up. The final match was a five-day game being played out under lights with a pink ball. This was a historical match as the pink ball was being used for the first time in cricket. Having scored 44 runs in the first innings, Akmal was demoted in the second innings and all-rounder Hussain Talat was sent in to bat at his position in number three.

“Umar asked Basit why he was being sent down the order and then misbehaved and abused him in the dressing room in front of other players and officials,” a source said.

Basit, a former test batsman and coach of the team said that the decision was just a tactical one as wickets had started tending to fall in the final session of play. Umar Akmal is likely to face disciplinary action from the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB).

Umar Akmal created a record last month to have gotten dismissed thrice in 24 hours. He is the only cricketer in the history of cricket to have achieved this feat. Faced with a lot of highs and lows in his career as a cricketer, the international batsman is presently at the 58th spot in ICC rankings.  

Indian police had raided a private dance party in Hyderabad and arrested Akmal along with many others present at the party last month. He was in the Indian city to play a game for SNGPL. The international player somehow managed to dodge a ban following from the report as the police cleared his name and said that he was not present at the party. The 26-year-old cricketer has been involved in a lot of controversies previously as well.