Umar Akmal leaves Pakistan to play league cricket in California

Pakistan middle-order batter Umar Akmal has reportedly bid goodbye to his ambitions of playing cricket for Pakistan. He has signed a contract with Northern California Cricket Association, where he is currently playing for California Zalmi in the Northern California Cricket Association Premier C league.

Recently, Akmal took to his official Twitter account and revealed that he is visiting the USA to seek better career opportunities.

The reason is not clear as to why the right-hand batter suddenly left for the USA, but according to a report in ESPN Cricinfo, Akmal’s return to top flight domestic cricket in Pakistan was not well received. Earlier in February 2020, Akmal was found guilty of breaching Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) anti-corruption code and was subsequently banned for one year.

Akmal was not considered for the A teams and was asked to play for the second XI team. He was also not selected for the National T20 League. The 31-year-old played for the Central Punjab Second XI squad in the PCB Cricket Associations. He registered scores of 0, 14, 7, 16, and 29 before leaving the side midway to play for California. It is still not clear when he will return to his country but by the looks of it, his future with Pakistan looks gloomy.

Akmal was considered as one of the most talented cricketers in the country. However, he failed to convert his skills in performances. The wicketkeeper-batter represented Pakistan in 16 Tests, 121 ODIs and 84 T20Is, scoring 1,003, 3,194 and 1,690 runs respectively.