"Umar Akmal should thank Quetta Gladiators" - Shahid Afridi takes a dig at veteran cricketer's fitness issues

Former Pakistan skipper Shahid Afridi has taken a dig at Umar Akmal's fitness, observing that he has plenty to work on. The former national chief national selector's statement came after the veteran keeper-batter fetched a PSL deal with the Quetta Gladiators.

Despite concerns over his fitness and form, the franchise saw the player's potential and gave Akmal a deal in the eighth edition of the Pakistan Super League (PSL). With the other franchises not interested in the veteran batter, it became a blessing in disguise for the Gladiators.

Afridi conceded that he likes the veteran cricketer as a batter but stated he was lucky to bag a PSL contract. The 45-year-old said, as quoted by Cricket Pakistan:

"Umar Akmal should thank Quetta Gladiators because other franchises were not interested in picking him in PSL. He has had problems with fitness for quite a long. I like him as a batter, but Umar Akmal still has to work on his fitness a lot."

The Gladiators didn't have an impressive outing last time out as they finished fifth in the seventh season of the tournament, winning four out of ten games. Their first and only title victory came in the 2019 edition as they beat Peshawar Zalmi in the final.

Umar Akmal has landed in several controversies throughout his career

Umar Akmal. (Image Credits: Getty)

The keeper-batter's cricketing career has been full of controversies despite starting it brightly with him hitting a century on his Test debut against New Zealand in Dunedin in 2010.

In April of 2020, the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) banned the 32-year-old from all forms of cricket for three years after failing to report corrupt approaches. The PCB later halved his ban to 1.5 years and apologized for it.

Speaking about the same, the player said, as quoted by ESPN Cricinfo:

"Seventeen months ago, I made a mistake which caused damage to my cricket and career. I learned a lot during this time and due to that mistake Pakistan cricket's reputation suffered badly. I ask for forgiveness from the PCB and from cricket fans around the world.

"Some people approached me but I was unable to report the same to the anti-corruption unit due to which I had to face a 12-month ban. I couldn't play cricket despite being a cricketer."

The Lahore-born batter last played for Pakistan in October of 2019 in a T20I against Sri Lanka in Lahore.