Umar Akmal fined, handed three-match suspension by PCB

What’s the story?

Pakistan’s troubled cricketer Umar Akmal has been banned for three matches by the Pakistan Cricket Board following his unprofessional outburst against head coach Mickey Arthur earlier this year.

Apart from the suspension, Akmal will also face a fine, and won't be granted an NOC by the PCB to play in any of the international leagues across the world for a period of two months.

In case you didn’t know…

Akmal, who has a history of breaching disciplinary limits with his antics, had told media that Arthur had abused him in front of Inzamam-ul-Haq in August this year. He also claimed that Arthur had prevented Akmal from using the National Cricket Academy in Lahore.

He was immediately handed a show cause notice by a three-man disciplinary committee, and later admitted to ‘regretting’ his public reaction and the manner in which he handled the issue.

The heart of the matter

The PCB Chairman read the report submitted by the committee, and found that Akmal had breached certain clauses in his central contract, following which a decision was made to impose a three-match ban (international or national, whichever game comes first) on the 27-year-old.

Pakistan Cricket Board's statement about Umar Akmal #Cricket pic.twitter.com/oV0k7unxoo

— Saj Sadiq (@Saj_PakPassion) September 28, 2017

A fine of Rs. 1,000,000 (One Million Pakistani Rupees) was also imposed Akmal. Furthermore, he won’t be handed an NOC (No Objection Certificate) by the PCB to participate in any foreign tournament for a period of two months.

What’s next?

Akmal last played for Pakistan in January this year in an ODI against Australia. He was dropped from the Champions Trophy squad earlier this year due to fitness concerns, and the current suspension will further thwart his intentions of making a comeback to the national side.

Author’s take

The current enfant terrible of Pakistan cricket, Akmal has lost his way after being earmarked for future success by several past cricketers. His latest round of differences with the coach, and his public outcry about the same, has forced the same cricketers to take a harsh stance on hi asking Akmal to concentrate on his game and fitness instead.

Pakistan cricket is already battling spot-fixing instances and losing talented players to the same: Akmal’s antics aren’t helping the cause one bit. The suspension, although minor in nature, will hopefully serve to be a useful lesson for Akmal, and will motivate to sort his professional career.