New Delhi: Umar Akmal is back. Not in the Pakistan team playing cricket but in the headlines for all the wrong reasons – again. Akmal made a roaring comeback into the centre of controversy by lashing out at Pakistan head coach Mickey Arthur in a press conference on Wednesday and subsequently getting a show cause notice from the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB).
Akmal blamed Arthur of abusing him when he wanted the assistance of national team’s fitness trainer to improve on his ever declining physical prowess.
The right hander alleged that Arthur verbally insulted him and asked him to earn the right of coming to the NCA after he returned from a knee injury.
Akmal reportedly was nursing a knee injury in England and wanted to regain full fitness by training at the NCA when Arthur stopped him on his tracks.
"I had gone to England for rehabilitation of my knee injury," Akmal said. "After I recovered, I went to the NCA to start working on my fitness and training. But the coaching staff doesn't want to work with me at all. When I asked why all those international coaches didn't want to work with me, they responded that they wanted to prioritise working with players who had central contracts. I said that I too am an international Pakistan cricketer, and if my fitness is lacking - and I admit that along the way my fitness has been found wanting - they should help me.
"I then went to talk to the chief selector (Inzamam), but he referred me to Mickey Arthur. Arthur took me back to Inzi bhai's room and started scolding me and using bad language in front of Inzi bhai, which I found demeaning and insulting.
Akmal was dropped from Pakistan’s Champions Trophy squad for failing the fitness test twice. Later on, he was also excluded from the central contract for the same reason.
However, Akmal strongly stated that the team management and PCB are not doing him any favour by sidelining him from all the facilities.
"I want to tell them that even when I try to do something good, I am prevented from doing so. When I take pictures with my fans, they, too, tell me to work on my fitness, and I feel they are right. But now I want to rectify this, everything is being snatched away from me. Why do academies exist? They exist to correct our mistakes. Now you should tell me what to do; I am a Pakistan player."
Mickey Arthur on the other hand is known to be someone who wears his heart on his sleeves. He had no qualms in admitting that he did have an altercation with Akmal at the NCA.
"I did tell him [Akmal] a few home truths and said he was always looking for excuses instead of looking at himself. I also told him that he had to earn the right to use our support staff because he is not a contracted cricketer. He can't just walk in here and demand what he wants," Arthur told ESPNcricinfo.