Umar Akmal
Photo Credit: Getty Images.

Tainted Pakistan batsman Umar Akmal has decided to stand up for himself following a three-year ban imposed by the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB). The three-year prohibition from all cricket came on account of not reporting approaches for corruption during the Pakistan Super League (PSL). The batsman faced suspension a few specific hours before the start of the 2020 edition of the PSL.

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Geo underlined that Umar Akmal had filed an appeal against the apex body of Pakistan cricket, who would appoint an independent committee to hear the matter. Furthermore, the 29-year old has roped in Babar Law’s Awan firm to help him in the case. The law firm is understood to be the adviser to the Prime Minister on Parliamentary affairs.

Umar Akmal
Umar Akmal (Credits – Twitter)

Akmal, who plays for Quetta Gladiators were supposed to play against Islamabad United in February in the opening match of their T20 tournament. To his dismay, the PCB severely punished him for not revealing the corrupt approaches he received. The Board charged the Punjab-born cricketer for two breaches of Article 2.4.4 of its Anti-Corruption code regarding two unrelated incidents in their competition.

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Umar Akmal charged with a penalty due to lack of remorse:

Umar Akmal, Kickboxing, Pakistan
Umar Akmal has been in troubled waters quite often. (Image Courtesy: Getty Images)

The PCB also slapped Umar Akmal with a harsh penalty for his lack of remorse during his hearing. ESPN Cricinfo earlier reported that Akmal wasn’t co-operating well in front of the anti-corruption tribunal and didn’t plead guilty despite his wrongdoings. Hence, his case was transferred to PCB’s disciplinary panel.

Back in 2009, the 29-year old was full of promise in his Test debut against New Zealand. Having scored a century in Dunedin, expectations rose for him. However, a lot of non-disciplinary incidents and lack of commitment caused his career to fall apart.

Umar Akmal is the younger brother of former Pakistani keeper-batsman Kamran Akmal and has played 121 ODIs, 16 Tests, and 84 T20Is. The 29-year old is also the cousin of the current limited-overs captain of the national team, Babar Azam. The right-handed batsman, last game for Pakistan, was back in March 2019.

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