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How come Umar Akmal still gets overseas cricket deals but Ahmed Shehzad doesn't?

Slog

Slog

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County deals for two years in a row
CPL deals for 2 years in a row
He even managed a Big bash deal few years ago but opted out due to international commitments few years ago

Shehzad only makes do with BPL and even there Akmal gets the better deal

Why so when they both have been mediocre for a while in international cricket?

How come Akmals reputation hasn't tanked.
 
Most of the times what happens is that players get offers, but they themselves don't go because of maybe the money being offered is too low or because of personal issues

Remember, no series take place in Pakistan, so these guys are away for longer period of time from Pakistan. So the little time they spent in Pakistan they either have to fulfill those charities agenda to promote a positive image of themselves or spent time with family or rest.
 
Maybe Akmal has a better agent. It also could be that Shehzad is not willing to play somewhere else in the summer (holidays).
 
Akmal put on a 10x better first impression in his initial years, also don't forget his rather impressive record in ICC tournaments, esp world t20s (before the failure in 2016) which the big natwest t20 counties and CPL look at.

Think his 94 vs Aus in the 2014 t20 WC is what has still kept him relevant for t20 leagues.

Not really a surprise tbh.

Besides, even if you don't look at stats and Akmal's alarming nosediving in cricket, he is still the better batsman. Shehzad has been consistently mediocre while Akmal had some highs before times got tough. So it's p obvious...
 
Umar is still a reputable T20 player, and 5-6 years ago, he was considered one of the best young batsman around.

Shehzad never had those things.
 
Because Akmal shows signs of keeping up with modern game. Just watch Shehzad at the start of 50 over contests and would you sign him for a t20 league? Also shehzad may not make himself available tbf to him
 
Akmal is actually a super talented hitter who can win a game on his own if he actually cared and focused. I don't think his talent is ever questioned, but his focus and attitude is crappy.

Is Shehzad even good? He's not really a top batsman. He's not an accumulator who keeps an innings moving nor a superb stroke maker. Ahmed needs to do more for his rather than just focus and attitude. He needs to be better at picking gaps and pacing his innings. He seems to be more interested in becoming a hitter rather than an innings anchor.
 
Umar is our most dynamic, best Limited Overs bat.

All he needs is a good defence to gain some consistency. Only if he had made someone like Misbah his mentor, instead of running after Afridi.

A good defense and he could've been on road to become our Kohli, not that Ahmed 'static feet' Shehzad. :najam
 
Hawkeye said:
Umar is our most dynamic, best Limited Overs bat.

All he needs is a good defence to gain some consistency. Only if he had made someone like Misbah his mentor, instead of running after Afridi.

A good defense and he could've been on road to become our Kohli, not that Ahmed 'static feet' Shehzad. :najam
Click to expand...

Dean Jones also said Umar should improve his defence
 
Hawkeye said:
Such sadness. :danish

Wish he was playing for the best team out there, [MENTION=140316]IslamabadUnited[/MENTION] . :/
Click to expand...

Paddy Upton is head coach of Lahore, seen Indian posters rave about him hopefully he can help Umar.

An Islamabad United fan I wouldn't say no to Umar he's an improvement on Khalid Latif :uakmal
 
I find it really surprising as well considering:

Ahmed shehzad has a more visible social media fan following, speaks better English, is friends with big names like chris gayle/KP/etc...

It might be because his reputation for acting out precedes him, but tbf akmal is no saint either.

Akmal is still getting by on his "talunt". People still salivate at the shots he used to play during past world t20s against top teams like Australia.
 
Its simple, Umar Akmal is a big-hitter and has some match-winning performances behind him. Shehzad doesn't.
 
Hawkeye said:
In Shehzad's case, it's his mediocrity. Who would want a batsman who can only play ugly cross-batted hoicks?

That too with a static feet.

Plus yeah, Shafiq/Azhar should be getting some county contracts.
Click to expand...

You seem to have a very harsh opinion about Shehzad. He has more range of shots than many players in the team. Obviously, umar is more dynamic but he is very inconsistent and just a one format player currently.

I also share the sentiment of the OP that how umar manages to get those contracts even after performing so poorly.

But the real question is not shehzad getting contracts but Azhar, Shafiq and the likes not getting single of them. Shehzad or umar are not even in the team anymore. So its useless to discuss them. But players like Shafiq who are touted by some to be our future test middle order not getting contracts is worrying.
 
blackanhyellow said:
Akmal is still getting by on his "talunt". People still salivate at the shots he used to play during past world t20s against top teams like Australia.
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Umm what.

Was the best batsman of PSL, good in England as well.
 
Hasan123 said:
Paddy Upton is head coach of Lahore, seen Indian posters rave about him hopefully he can help Umar.

An Islamabad United fan I wouldn't say no to Umar he's an improvement on Khalid Latif :uakmal
Click to expand...

Indian posters raving about some coach doesnt makes him a God. We all know how Pady performed with the Qalandars side in the recently ended PSL. It was an absolute disaster both in terms of team selection in the auction and during the matches.
 
LowKiiSavage said:
Indian posters raving about some coach doesnt makes him a God. We all know how Pady performed with the Qalandars side in the recently ended PSL. It was an absolute disaster both in terms of team selection in the auction and during the matches.
Click to expand...

I never said it does, I'm just saying he could be a good coach. They had a bad season no doubt losing Yasir and Mustafizur were big blows though as well.
 
Shehzad has no T20 pedigree barring a few BPL innings while Akmal has gained somewhat of a reputation in T20s due to a few decent knocks. Neither of them are 'super-stars'.
 
Slog said:
County deals for two years in a row
CPL deals for 2 years in a row
He even managed a Big bash deal few years ago but opted out due to international commitments few years ago

Shehzad only makes do with BPL and even there Akmal gets the better deal

Why so when they both have been mediocre for a while in international cricket?

How come Akmals reputation hasn't tanked.
Click to expand...

I believe Ahmed Shehzad has some serious attitude problems. He thinks these leagues are not up to his standards.

Some days back he was playing in Corporate T20 Cup, and over an LBW decision, he spew lots of rubbish against umpire into this face. And after that his team played 2 matches, but Shezzi didn't play a single.

When player like him thinks that he is complete, he don't need these leagues, he is made for just international cricket, he don't want to accept his mistakes, so what do you expect??
 
Akmal at least tries to play with a decent strike rate from the start of his innings - Shahzad eats up a few overs and then tries to catch up. Most of the time he is unsuccessful.
This is unacceptable in the modern game. The only players who can get away with it are the likes of Chris Gayle- and Shahzad is no Chris Gayle.
 
Umar akmal is much better than shehzad garbage umar is best t20 player in pak he can play leagues all around the world
 
#GreenRoars said:
I believe Ahmed Shehzad has some serious attitude problems. He thinks these leagues are not up to his standards.

Some days back he was playing in Corporate T20 Cup, and over an LBW decision, he spew lots of rubbish against umpire into this face. And after that his team played 2 matches, but Shezzi didn't play a single.

When player like him thinks that he is complete, he don't need these leagues, he is made for just international cricket, he don't want to accept his mistakes, so what do you expect??
Click to expand...

1005 sure this is not true

otherwisse he wouldnt play in BPL even as that is least prestigious

prolly truth is that he doesnt get any interest

we must remember that outside Pak he is not well known and unlike Akmal (who had a great start to career), Shehzad has always been statistically mediocre
 
Akmal has proved himself in some big games, e.g. the World T20 semi-final in 2010. These sorts of performances grab attention.

Shehzad hasn't done much, particularly in the shortest format.
 
Umar akmal can actually hit some.

Shehzad sucks momentum at the start of the innings and gets out at the wrong time when he is expected to accelerate. No body wants a player like him in t20 cricket.
 
Because there is a gulf in quality; Akmal has a lot more potential - it is another thing that he doesn't convert it regularly to performances, but even then he has done well in leagues like the PSL & England County in recent times.
 
1. Umar Akmal is more established. Only a hater will deny that he was compared with greats of game in his initial years. I saw Sachin 2.0, they say good first impression attraction lasts very long. Cricket pundits have soft spot for Umar Akmal.

2. Also he is 'seen' as relatively controversy free and less arrogant compared to Shehzad. We never saw Umar misconduct with our own eyes, Waqar Younus maligned his image to large extent. But he never ever damaged Pakistan's reputation 'on the field' like Shehzad's hell remark to Dilshan.

3. Even though Umar Akmal is very naive on Social media and his posts are genuinely funny. But he is not holding grudges and doesn't retweet malicious content. He is not cunning like Ahmed Shehzad. I feel Umar Akmal is a soft target, he gets punished unfairly along with Shehzaad despite having better record but expectations are more from Umar Akmal.

4. Umar Akmal has one of best stats for Pakistan in ICC events, he has performed in major events. Shehzaad has been total failure like his ustad Shahid Afridi. Very few people watch Pakistan's bilateral ODI in UAE. Umar Akmal is rare pedigree, likes of Inzimam had atrocious ICC record.

5. Despite being maligned and kicked, only Umar Akmal in Pakistan squad has Strike Rate which is comparable viz a viz India, Australia and SA batsmen. He is far better than likes of Ajinkya Rahane in LOIs.

He is most talented Pakistani batsmen in last 20 years, very badly managed by PCB.
 
In T20s, Akmal is way ahead of Shehzad as a batsman. Shehzad is a one-note player who starts slow inspite of power-play and his floor and ceiling are pretty wellknown and kinda low. Why would a team waste a spot at the top of the order for an international player with limited striking potential? Akmal on a bad day will never score at a low SR, he'll just get out cheap. And if he gets on a roll can win a few games with his hitting. To be brutally honest Shehzad would struggle making even the Bongle starting XI. He just isnt that good a batsman in limited overs cricket, especially T20. Maybe ODIs where he can make up for a slow start with the occasional big innings, but his hit rate with those is pretty low as well. He epitomizes the long drought that Pakistan have for top order batsmen - someone like him should only make it back into the team if he drastically changes and improves his game - strike rotation, and general run-scoring ability. And if he does, its a sad reflection of a talent gap.
 
There is no comparison between the two . Akmal is a far superior batsmen in every aspect .
 
Tera Gawaandi said:
1. Umar Akmal is more established. Only a hater will deny that he was compared with greats of game in his initial years. I saw Sachin 2.0, they say good first impression attraction lasts very long. Cricket pundits have soft spot for Umar Akmal.
Click to expand...

True

It seemed we had our hands on someone special
 
Shehzad is nowhere near Umar Akmal in-terms of skill level and performances.

Sent from my HTC 10 using Tapatalk
 
Has more international T20 experience and success.

Is a more exciting batsman to watch.

Umar Akmal is a more famous name internationally (partly because he's played more, partly because he was hyped quite a bit by the cricket world unlike Shehzad). You can only have a number of international players in your team, so makes sense to choose someone that the fans will recognise/know who he is.

Tbh both Umar and Shehzad are good players for these types of leagues. Am a bit surprised Shehzad hasn't got a CPL contract given he's done well in both BPL and PSL and CPL has recruited quite a few pakistani players.

Think people are kind of underestimating Shehzad here. Yes in internationals he's not great in t20s but in domestic leagues he's done very well and scores pretty quickly. Why it's so frustrating he doesn't do it at international level.
 
Some people have mentioned Shehzad doing well at tournaments like BPL but I think his performances in T20Is will have hurt his reputation. Literally the only opener I can think of who regularly scores below run a ball in powerplays. Absolutely no team wants to have the momentum sucked from their innings so early. He doesn't seem to play like that in the leagues, though. Had a good PSL too.
 
Past reputation and availability i think.

Half the time Akmal bhai is out of the team and if not taking new dress/shoes/drink/shades selfies he is available anytime around the year.
 
To be Fair U.Akmal is a good T20 player.....a good overseas option.....He can be used as a part time keeper and he can be an effective slogger i nthe middle-lower middle order.....A decent Free agent.

Shehzad not so much as there are better options available,so why waste an overseas slot.
 
Ahmed Shehzad will get recognised soon, Umar Akmal hasn't impressed, so he may lose out on deals next year, reputation won't do.
 
U.A is a fine T20 player and some time ago, he was touted as one of the best batsmen going around.

On the other hand, Shehzad never impressed anyone.He was mediocre from the start.

Sent from my Lenovo A6000 using Tapatalk
 
Because Umar is a much better batsman than Shehzad. And Umar himself isn't anything special so that should tell you just how poor Shehzad is as a batsman.
 
shehzad will hopefully improve after this rest that hes getting.. a fine cricketer just needs to work on a few issues.
 
Shehzad is such a garbage batsman you won't want him in your team pathetic cricketer he kills the momentum at the start
 
Last edited by a moderator:
Opening slot is far more competitive than lets say a number 5 or 6. I believe Umar in the T20 blast didn't bat higher than 5 unless there were very few overs to go. And even in the CPL game he came in at 5 after Bravo. Teams probably find him as a suitable low cost option for the lower order. Everyone knows he can smack. Plus they gave him the gloves in the first CPL game. Killing two birds with one stone probably.
 
hussain123 said:
that was a against a highly depleted bangladeshi bowling.even in that match too he killed the momentum going into the final overs to complete his century.an extreme limited cricketer.
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Lol. Umar Akmal hasn't even scored a hundred against a so called depleted side in the first place.
 
The Last Of The Stars said:
Lol. Umar Akmal hasn't even scored a hundred against a so called depleted side in the first place.
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well umar akmal has scored a 94 notout against aussies and some few other big scores against them.you remember how he bashed micthell johnson??shehzad can only dream of such stuff.cheers
 
sshakir411 said:
Opening slot is far more competitive than lets say a number 5 or 6. I believe Umar in the T20 blast didn't bat higher than 5 unless there were very few overs to go. And even in the CPL game he came in at 5 after Bravo. Teams probably find him as a suitable low cost option for the lower order. Everyone knows he can smack. Plus they gave him the gloves in the first CPL game. Killing two birds with one stone probably.
Click to expand...
Good point, an opening slot is more competitive indeed.
 
Simple, Shahzad is a test player, doesn't deserve to play LOIs at all, while Umar Akmal is a T20 bat and probably has a better manager negotiating deals
 
Because Akmal has more potential although he has been an underperformer.
 
Tera Gawaandi said:
1. Umar Akmal is more established. Only a hater will deny that he was compared with greats of game in his initial years. I saw Sachin 2.0, they say good first impression attraction lasts very long. Cricket pundits have soft spot for Umar Akmal.

2. Also he is 'seen' as relatively controversy free and less arrogant compared to Shehzad. We never saw Umar misconduct with our own eyes, Waqar Younus maligned his image to large extent. But he never ever damaged Pakistan's reputation 'on the field' like Shehzad's hell remark to Dilshan.

3. Even though Umar Akmal is very naive on Social media and his posts are genuinely funny. But he is not holding grudges and doesn't retweet malicious content. He is not cunning like Ahmed Shehzad. I feel Umar Akmal is a soft target, he gets punished unfairly along with Shehzaad despite having better record but expectations are more from Umar Akmal.

4. Umar Akmal has one of best stats for Pakistan in ICC events, he has performed in major events. Shehzaad has been total failure like his ustad Shahid Afridi. Very few people watch Pakistan's bilateral ODI in UAE. Umar Akmal is rare pedigree, likes of Inzimam had atrocious ICC record.

5. Despite being maligned and kicked, only Umar Akmal in Pakistan squad has Strike Rate which is comparable viz a viz India, Australia and SA batsmen. He is far better than likes of Ajinkya Rahane in LOIs.

He is most talented Pakistani batsmen in last 20 years, very badly managed by PCB.
Click to expand...
This is what I was saying
 
Umar Akmal is the better player. Pretty simply really.
 
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