Umar wasn't selected because he plays for the team: Kamran Akmal

Yesterday Pakistan Cricket Board announced the T20 and ODI squads for the upcoming home series against New Zealand, commencing on April 14th, 2022. The side will be led by Babar Azam, with Shadab Khan as his associate.

PCB technically debunked all the rumors that were floating in the air regarding the replacement of Shadab Khan due to a series failures against Afghanistan in Sharjah.

While fans are excited to see their favorite players back in action -particularly Shaheen Shah Afridi, who'd be making a comeback to the national side after his unfortunate injury during the T20 World Cup finals 2022.

Former wicketkeeper-batsman Kamran Akmal isn't impressed with the squad selection, primarily because of his brother Umar Akmal, who's been waiting for his national team's call-up for quite a while now. Taking on his YouTube channel, Kamran Akmal said.

"I am talking about Umar. They announced the T20 team and didn't include him in the squad; why? He played last year's PSL and this year's PSL in rather tough conditions. He tried his best to deliver whenever given an opportunity, a chance, limited amount of balls or overs, etc.," Akmal said.

"I don't need to explain or tell anyone; everyone is well aware of the reality. Yet, I still cannot comprehend why he isn't being given a chance in the national team, particularly on the batting number where almost every player has been tried," he added.

Kamran Akmal accentuated that only because his younger brother doesn't have a habit of flattery, which is why he goes unnoticed.

"The performance of all these players is crystal clear in front of everyone; despite that, you are still not including Umar because he isn't in the likings or good books of the selection committee? Or because Umar is less hyped than others or because he plays for the team? Or maybe because he doesn't greet you guys well, doesn't invest a lot of time in flattering - only this is what I can conclude as to why he isn't a part of the national team."

"Because again, it is clear as a bell that performance isn't the criteria here since players with scores around 30,32 as their highest are still part of the team. This is indeed not fair to Umar, and I'd request chairman and chief selector, Haroon Rasheed, to think about it and consider it closely," Akmal concluded.

The 34-year-old Umar, who last played T20I match against Sri Lanka way back in 2019, stated that his recent performances in domestic cricket are in front of everyone, and it's up to the selection committee to pick him in the national side.

"I leave the decision of selection for the upcoming series against New Zealand to the PCB and the selection committee. I take cricket very seriously, be it club cricket, domestic cricket, or international cricket. As you can see, I don't miss a single club cricket game, and I always give my 100%. I will continue to perform like this till the end," he said.