Umar Akmal claims Mickey Arthur abused him, used 'very bad words'

What's the story?

Umar Akmal recently stated that the head coach of the national side, Mickey Arthur , abused him in front of Inzamam-ul-Haq. The Pakistan batsman said that when he requested Arthur to grant him the permission to work-out with the national team's support staff, Arthur led him to Inzamam's room and said derogatory things to him.

"He used very bad words for me in front of Inzi sir. It was an extremely painful thing for me personally," Akmal was quoted saying to reporters.

The 27-year-old added that the senior players of the team did not intervene even when verbal abuses from Arthur were flying off the handle.

“He (Mickey Arthur) told me to play club-level cricket instead of coming to the academy. Arthur was also abusive towards other players,” Akmal was quoted as saying to Daily Pakistan.

In case you didn't know...

Akmal did not get a central contract from the Pakistan Cricket Board for this season. He has not been included in any grade of the contract.

He was initially drafted into the squad for the ICC Champions Trophy that was hosted by England in June, but repeated failures to clear fitness tests led the national selectors to remove him from the squad.

The details

Akmal revealed that since he has failed multiple fitness tests in the past, he was trying to get into fitness drills held by the support staff of the national team.

However, his request for the same was denied as he doesn't have a central contract. That's when he decided to turn to Arthur for help, and that's when the aforementioned incident took place.

What's next?

The PCB has now issued a showcause notice for Akmal, who keeps finding ways of getting on the wrong side of the board.

He was recently accused of spot-fixing in the Pakistan Premier League and was tried for the same. However, his name was cleared by the PCB after careful investigation.

Author's take

If Akmal wants to revive his fast-sinking international career, he truly needs to reinvent himself not only as a cricketer, but as a person now. He keeps going down the wrong road and making controversial decisions time and again.

It's high time he steps up to the expectations around him and does justice to the talent that he has. As far as the Arthur issue goes, it should stay within official walls and not be thrown around across national - and now, international media.