Pakistani cricketer Kamran Akmal did not took any criticism from coach as he battled Mickey Arthur for giving too much importance to fitness and not giving young talents their owed chances during his spell with the national team. Akmal also blamed Mickey Arthur for the mess Pakistan cricket is in currently.
Coach Mickey Arthur and Akmal brothers had a bitter relationship since last year as war of words were on-going from both sides. During his time as a Pakistan head coach, Arthur left out Umar Akmal and Kamran Akmal from the team due to various issues. One of the most important components behind their rejection from the team was fitness.
Arthur Has Responded Back To Claims By Kamran Akmal
Now, Arthur has replied to the claims made by Kamran Akmal as he stated that the wicket-keeper batsmen failed two fitness test and he doesn’t pay attention to his body no matter what he says.
‘Just look at what happened to Kamran Akmal. Kamran Akmal is a comfort zone player. He couldn’t field. Sarfraz Ahmed was captain. He wasn’t going to be the wicket-keeper. We took him on a West Indies tour and he was average at best. Kamran Akmal failed two fitness tests. So to be honest, anything that the Akmals say, I don’t listen to at all. Anything they say, I just take with a pinch of salt,’ Arthur told.
Arthur wasn’t a big fan of Kamran’s younger brother Umar too. Arthur opened up about his relationship with Umar Akmal and said that the cricketer needed a guiding hand during the start of his career.
“It’s definitely too late for him [Umar Akmal] now. It’s sad because he is a likeable enough bloke but what he needed was a real firm hand at the start of his career to guide him properly,” Arthur added.
Arthur added that Umar Akmal could have used a right advice earlier in his career. Arthur further claimed that it is frustrating to work with Akmal brothers. Earlier Mohsin Khan, who was chief selector of Pakistan in 2011, stated that eight players in Pan’s playing 11 does not meet regular fitness standards. Fitness is going to be vital part for playing all 3 formats in this era which will keep players healthy and away from injury.
