Basit Ali has hit out at the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) for promoting Umar Akmal to a Category A contract, despite the batsman’s inexperience and inability to deliver a consistent performance.
Akmal, despite being omitted from the Test squad that will take on Sri Lanka later this month, was elevated from Category B when the central contracts were announced last week.
“Umar is an exceptional talent but he has failed to do justice to it and that’s why I think the PCB shouldn’t have given him a Category A contract,” Basit told The Express Tribune.
“He shouldn’t be given everything because he won’t learn from his mistakes that way. The PCB should’ve kept him where he was and told him to improve his show because that’s what is expected of him.”
Basit was Umar coach at SNGPL, the youngster’s domestic side which he helped clinch the Quaid Trophy in his debut first-class season, and even scolded him for playing unnecessary shots after being dropped from the Test squad last year.
The 41-year-old, who has also served as a national junior selector in the past, said that although Umar apologised for his mistakes, more often then not he would repeat those, hampering his progress as a batsman.
“Umar is of the same calibre as Virat Kohli but look where the two players stand today.
“Kohli has taken huge strides, being one of the best batsmen in the world.”
Basit also stressed that Umar should bat regularly at number four, starting with the One-Day Internationals and against Sri Lanka so that he is able to get a big innings under his belt. Basit also hoped that Umar will emerge from the mini slump to perform consistently against Sri Lanka and become the go-to guy for the team.
“I hope he plays like a man and not a boy who gets carried away and doesn’t play according to the situation. In my opinion, he doesn’t like being in the middle for long and that’s where he needs to improve.”
Published in The Express Tribune, June 2nd, 2012.
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Azhar Ali will be a better choice than Umar Akmal and bring back Asad Shafiq plzzzz
Umar Akmal has given a slap on faces of critics with his match winning knock against SL in the 1st One-day so pepz shud shut up nd appreciate him
@AJ: Basit played many crucial knocks i do not know why he had to retire so soon . He had the makings of a Javed see his videos on youtube and you will agree
Basit Ali himself played just a couple of matches how can he gauge a talented player like Umar Akmal..... he should keep quite
Bring in Haris Sohail and Asad Shafiq rather than Umar and Azhar Ali for one-dayers they'll be a good package against SL
@ Defending Punjab @ Syaad
I think the only player who can realistically become like Tendulkar are Virat Kohli and Alaistar Cook because they are run machines and have long careers to go.
@Defending Punjab: Dream on. From what we have seen so far of Umar Akmal, it seems he will not even be the shadow of Sachin Tendulkar. But, I will be very happy to be proven wrong.
@Syaad
Umar will become better than Sachin and only time will tell that son
@Sports fanatic: Keep dreaming. We will be very happy if Umar Akmal can achieve 10 percent of what Sachin has achieved to date.
People do nor forget that Punjab has produced several match winners since the creation of Pakistan. The players in out region are better than players of any other region so this label of being bias should end now. Umar is young and will learn from his mistakes with time.
Asad Shafiq is a more dependble choice thn Umar akmal and he shud be in the playing XI for one-dayers
@Wild Analysis
Agreed with what u say these brothers certainly are close to bookies and sell the interest of nation for couple of millions
"Umar needs to bat like a man, not a boy".....agreed with the statement.
Please Basit ask the PCB chairman to Zaka Ashraf to drop Umar Akmal if u have link with him. why don't Basit u come into coaching to give these players a dressing down on their mistakes in international arena as well?
Umar Akmal has become very arrogant and he needs a punishment because he has led down the whole nation on number of occassions. He is just survivng becuz he is from Lahore had the player of Karachi or Peshawar would have done same mistaken even twice they would have been dropped for rest of their life. This is the bias which is clear to all
Akmal brothers have a back ground of being suspiciously involved with bookies so they shouldnt be in da team... Kick these people out of Pakistan side:@ :@:@:@:
@syaad
Akmal brothers are the best and Umar Akmal will become Sachin tendulkar of this generation remember this man.
@Sports fanatic: Akmal brothers need to play with cricket gears, bat to make runs and gloves to take catches rather than the heart because playing with heart is not working.
@Raj: competely agreed !!!
I agreed with Basit Ali we do not need another Afridi in the team we already have one.......the senseless hitter.
Umar akmal should be dropped simple as that if he does not do welll against Sri Lanka and we should look for some one else to play the dyamite role in World T20s somebody who play useful cameos instead of throwing his priced scalp needlessly
Umar came onto the scene with a bang because he was playing to cement his place but later he became the part of politics which saw him get together with Mohammad Yousuf, Kamran Akmal, Shoaib Malik, Shahid Afridi and others to remove Younis Khan as captain of Pakistan despite leading the side to T20 glory and he has never recovered that form because his concentration diverted
People are just on the trail of Akmal brothers :@ They are the most talented players of Pakistan even better than Muhammad brothers (Hanif Muhammad, Mushtaq Muhammad and Sadiq Mohammad)
Akmals play with their hearts for Pakistan and are most sincere to the nation but they are being targetted!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
@Swag Basit retired in 1990s check ur stats b4 cmng up with awful logic.......
I believe that Umar Akmal will turn out 2 be da most biggest disappointment in the cricket world becuz he is a gem but act like a peanut.
Asad Shafiq is a better player than Umar, Azhar Ali but he is being sidelined by a certain lobby to dent his confidence. It wurd shameful 4 Pakistan team if Asad is kicked out of the team
Shape up or ship out. Enough of the name Akmal.
@MB: Whose fault is it that Umer comes so late. He has not shown any kind of maturity to be promoted early. Basit is right, you cant give him A category contract at this time. With huge talent huge responsibility comes and he has to prove that he can carry this team himself. so far he has been a big disappointment.
Basit Ali had the potential to become another Javed i hope it was not politics that finished him
We can compare Umar Akmal with Shahid Afridi, both more or less have similar approach to the batting which is one dimensional regardless of the match situation.
I don't understand why they not select asad shafiq he is better than umer akmal.Basit bhai is right.
Umar Akmal has talent but no brain, and will not survive the international cricket for long unless he revisits his approach to the game.. He repeatedly makes the same mistake and it does not seem to bother him.
He's 41?!
He retired back in 1987, does that means he retired at 26 when a player is at his prime.
I'm pretty sure Basit Ali is at least 50.
@MB read this b4 saying anyfin
Basit also stressed that Umar should bat regularly at number four, starting with the One-Day Internationals and against Sri Lanka so that he is able to get a big innings under his belt. Basit also hoped that Umar will emerge from the mini slump to perform consistently against Sri Lanka and become the go-to guy for the team.
Where Basit has criticised Umar, he has also defended him which is good
You can't compare Umar Akmal with Kohli. Both are different type of batsman in style as well as execution. I was watching Ahmed Shehzad and I felt he has lot of similarities with Kohli. Shehzad may be a tad more aggressive than Kohli in his style but Kohli probably has a more compact defence. But both seemed to have lot of similarities.
Sincerely, I believe that Mr. Basit Ali's criticism in unfair to a certain extent. Umar Akmal usually comes in at either five or six, at a time when either he has to carry a salvage operation or go for boundaries. For instance in yesterday's match he came in at a time with the required rate was touching 8 and there were 5 wickets down. Players like Virat Kohli have blossomed after they were promoted to bat higher up the order rather than coming in lower down. Umar deserves a place higher up where he has ample time to build his innings and prove that he is the brightest Pakistani batting talent that has emerged over the past couple of years. Our management should learn a thing or two from the BCCI and try to promote these young guys rather than relying on tried and tested players (read: Shoaib Malik and Imran Farhat).
Basit was himself very talented but what happened to him. What he could not do himself he is asking the Akmal to do so that does not make any sense guys!!
Umar started his career v brightly but now seems to be fading away as vigour has gone out missing from his batting which is a big worry for PAkistan as he is the best talent currently.
“He shouldn’t be given everything because he won’t learn from his mistakes that way. The PCB should’ve kept him where he was and told him to improve his show because that’s what is expected of him.”
Basit is correct on this part he has summed up everything. Gud analysis :)
Nice piece by ET. There are fears in my mind that Umar could turn out to be the disappointment like talented Imran Nazir because he has not been taking his batting seriously and PCB should drop him for two three series so that he learns that his place is not permanent!
Basit is right Umar did not deserve an A category contract because he has has lived upto the expectations of the nation
He tries to make it sound like constructive criticism to fall back on if someone says something but, nah, that's a definite insult/tantrum. "like a man, not a boy" is something you say to start a fight almost everywhere, no matter how civilized.