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"Umar Akmal is a complicated guy" : Brendon McCullum

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Slog

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BMac seems to have taken Akmal jr to town.

"Umar Akmal is a complicated guy"

"He's had his troubles. He's had well documented troubles"

"If he was to stop playing now then it would be fair to say he has underachieved as he is an incredible talent"

"Sometimes you have to be honest with yourself and be receptive to feedback you get"
 
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Wow very strong words. I wish our seniors and management were as frank as Baz
 
Even foreigners cant escape from giving Akmal jr the dreaded 'talent' tag
 
bmac laying the smack, i wish he had shezzy under his wing too and exposed him ever so openly as well. These 2 guys (and some others) think way too highly of themselves with nothing to show for it.
 
Clearly alluding to some mental health issues which often get overlooked in our culture.
 
Slog said:
BMac seems to have taken Akmal jr to town.

"Umar Akmal is a complicated guy"

"His head is troubled. He's had well documented troubles"

"If he was to stop playing now then it would be fair to say he has underachieved as he is an incredible talent"

"Sometimes you have to be honest with yourself and be receptive to feedback you get"
Click to expand...

This is what is called a sandwich technique. You throw in a compliment Patty in between critisizm buns. Complicated, Talented, headstrong
 
[MENTION=57576]MRSN[/MENTION] you would have us believe that we are all messed up in our head instead of Umar Akmal; now what would you say?
 
Waqar Younis had already told us about Umar Akmal 3-4 years back but we wouldn't take a Pakistani seriously.
 
So basically Umar Akmal acts like "Mr.Know it all". Is that what Baz saying? I mean he doesn't apparently listen to anyone. Arrogance without performance should be penalized.
 
The problem is not akmal jnr but the water.. he just needs a nestle or Volvic sponser & am sure he will be back scoring more then any1 else ever... bcoz he is a “natural talent” once in a generation player, we just need a pram , a dummy & plenty of diet water in the dressing room for the prince
 
If Bmac is a Lahore player next year, mark my words UA will not be.

I have a feeling he will go unsold in the next edition
 
Slog said:
BMac seems to have taken Akmal jr to town.

"Umar Akmal is a complicated guy"

"His head is troubled. He's had well documented troubles"

"If he was to stop playing now then it would be fair to say he has underachieved as he is an incredible talent"

"Sometimes you have to be honest with yourself and be receptive to feedback you get"
Click to expand...

Plain, simple, unfashionable but precise assessment of a human being, and Buzz didn't ornamented it under polished words.

It's a shame to be honest - nature gives such talent to may be one in a million; that too in a generation, not every year; and this guy has wasted that. It takes a lot of effort (in wrong line) to upset Buzz, who is truly a great leader, much better than the player or Captain he is.

I try to find the inner depth of cricket beyond stats - Umar Akmal is a surprise to me as well - he is unique in both ways.
 
Didn't expect anything less from a failure of a captain (For LQ) talking about a player who has no idea what's he is doing at the moment. Sad state of affairs.
 
MMHS said:
Plain, simple, unfashionable but precise assessment of a human being, and Buzz didn't ornamented it under polished words.

It's a shame to be honest - nature gives such talent to may be one in a million; that too in a generation, not every year; and this guy has wasted that. It takes a lot of effort (in wrong line) to upset Buzz, who is truly a great leader, much better than the player or Captain he is.

I try to find the inner depth of cricket beyond stats - Umar Akmal is a surprise to me as well - he is unique in both ways.
Click to expand...

What talent? He played a few good knocks initially and was found out like most do and did nothing to work harder and improve his skill set/temperament/fitness etc. The word talent should banished from our sporting vocabulary.
 
This talent part is debatable. What makes anyone think he has the talent? Hitting fours and sixes is not talent. Yusuf pathan would be a talent otherwise.
 
His attitude must really be out of place if apart from the national team there are concerns from international stars too who are captaining him. Don't think we'll be seeing him in pakistani colours again.
 
When he went up to Imran Khan in front of all the cameras and media person for sifarish in thw WC against his own captain that was enough for me. Same with shehzad when he asked Dilshan to convert to Islam while playing a test match. These two seem to have ADD (Attention Defecit Disorder) which would explain why their head is always in the cloud and they can never play according to the match situation. I wish Pakistanis could move on and stop wasting so much time on these very 'talented' individuals...
 
Brendan will find him even more complicated as Umar doesn't speak English!:)) Like his bro Kamran don't think Umar will get another chance in the side. Both seem like dark people with political interests and backing.
 
If Bmac, the leader who basically created the most formidable kiwi team ever, says that you have issues with your head, then i am sorry to say there is not much hope for you.

And who are we kidding, we already know all of this. Bmac just has the courage to say openly and bluntly what others would sugarcoat.
 
Wow.

One, I can't recall hearing such strong words used in public by any captain of a cricket team for his own player.

Two, and this is my perception based on personal observation only, a lot of us here who have worked in western environments can well imagine how damning Mac's words are, given that westerners typically go for understatement when critiquing others. So wow!
 
rhony said:
This is what is called a sandwich technique. You throw in a compliment Patty in between critisizm buns. Complicated, Talented, headstrong
Click to expand...

Well! He can't be so brutal cause he's playing PSL afterall ;) I'm glad he atleast had a compliment to say! This UA guy doesn't even deserve that word 'incredible-talent'
 
Ah but it must be Waqar's fault or Misbah's fault, it cannot be Umar's fault.

Reminder what Waqar said about Umar Akmal:

"Umar is his own worst enemy. He doesn't want to work hard, he doesn't want to put in the effort, he doesn't want to get fit, and it's embarrassing. He should be thoroughly ashamed that Mickey Arthur and the coaching staff have had to send him back to Pakistan"
 
DeadBall said:
What talent? He played a few good knocks initially and was found out like most do and did nothing to work harder and improve his skill set/temperament/fitness etc. The word talent should banished from our sporting vocabulary.
Click to expand...

His problem is psychological, not cricket. Those few good shot included back-foot punch against Bond on either side of point with a vertical bat and inside out lofted extra cover drives against spin for six of a bowler name's Muthia Muralidharan.

The is in total shambles now, hence whatever thrown at him here in PP will stick on his face; but not many of the PAK ATG's were better than him at U23 level.
 
He seems lost with no guidance whatsoever.If he would have debuted 2016 onwards things may have been different.It seems this may be the end of the road for him.
 
MMHS said:
His problem is psychological, not cricket. Those few good shot included back-foot punch against Bond on either side of point with a vertical bat and inside out lofted extra cover drives against spin for six of a bowler name's Muthia Muralidharan.

The is in total shambles now, hence whatever thrown at him here in PP will stick on his face; but not many of the PAK ATG's were better than him at U23 level.
Click to expand...

I don't think even his game has progressed much after those initial years. Now he seems to be putting a lot of pressure on himself to play that "one" magic innings to get himself back into contention. Maybe that's the advise he's ignoring from Mac and the team management as well to buckle down, settle in and play a meaningful 40. It never suited his style and he knows innings like those can't get him famous.
 
MMHS said:
His problem is psychological, not cricket. Those few good shot included back-foot punch against Bond on either side of point with a vertical bat and inside out lofted extra cover drives against spin for six of a bowler name's Muthia Muralidharan.

The is in total shambles now, hence whatever thrown at him here in PP will stick on his face; but not many of the PAK ATG's were better than him at U23 level.
Click to expand...

No it is cricket also. Many other players who have hit better bowlers have disappeared into oblivion due to not evolving with the game. Its just romantic nostalgia you are subscribing to and just holding on to your personal biases. Your last sentence is laughable to say the least.
 
DeadBall said:
No it is cricket also. Many other players who have hit better bowlers have disappeared into oblivion due to not evolving with the game. Its just romantic nostalgia you are subscribing to and just holding on to your personal biases. Your last sentence is laughable to say the least.
Click to expand...

Won't say anything about other part, but try to explain the last sentence in light of this -

"Mazid & Asif (Iqbal) went to 1967 English tour as medium pacer all-rounder, who batted at 8 & 9. Asif, still (?) holds the highest Test partnership record for No. 9 pair - then they went to Glamargoan & Kent who made them to open and bat at 5; WHILE Javed played 1975 WC as a leg spinning all-rounder - you can check the WI-PAK WC 1975 game, batted at 6 and bowled full quota of 12 overs - then Tony picked him for Sussex and after 2 years in County, he played 1st Test in inter of 1976".

If you can explain this, I am sure you won't be able to laugh.
 
MMHS said:
Won't say anything about other part, but try to explain the last sentence in light of this -

"Mazid & Asif (Iqbal) went to 1967 English tour as medium pacer all-rounder, who batted at 8 & 9. Asif, still (?) holds the highest Test partnership record for No. 9 pair - then they went to Glamargoan & Kent who made them to open and bat at 5; WHILE Javed played 1975 WC as a leg spinning all-rounder - you can check the WI-PAK WC 1975 game, batted at 6 and bowled full quota of 12 overs - then Tony picked him for Sussex and after 2 years in County, he played 1st Test in inter of 1976".

If you can explain this, I am sure you won't be able to laugh.
Click to expand...

I don't know what that obscure historical reference has got to do with anything. I cannot even comprehend what you're trying to say, nevermind explain it.
 
Slog said:
Even foreigners cant escape from giving Akmal jr the dreaded 'talent' tag
Click to expand...

He probably just added this to balance his statement without even mening it.
 
MMHS said:
His problem is psychological, not cricket. Those few good shot included back-foot punch against Bond on either side of point with a vertical bat and inside out lofted extra cover drives against spin for six of a bowler name's Muthia Muralidharan.

The is in total shambles now, hence whatever thrown at him here in PP will stick on his face; but not many of the PAK ATG's were better than him at U23 level.
Click to expand...
If we go by that Dinesh Karthik is far more talented than Umar Akmal. He plays some of the outrageous shots against good bowling. Just a mental midget.
 
MMHS said:
His problem is psychological, not cricket. Those few good shot included back-foot punch against Bond on either side of point with a vertical bat and inside out lofted extra cover drives against spin for six of a bowler name's Muthia Muralidharan.

The is in total shambles now, hence whatever thrown at him here in PP will stick on his face; but not many of the PAK ATG's were better than him at U23 level.
Click to expand...

I agree with you here man.

For example Azhar Ali works harder than anybody but he will never be an ATG. Hard work alone isn’t everything, you need talent, which AA doesn’t have, but Umar has in abundance.

People on PP don’t understand this because they just read the scorecard instead of actually watching the batting.
 
in Pakistan people get offended if they are referred to a psychologist, but it could do U. Akmal a world of good and simply things in life.
 
Rayyman said:
I agree with you here man.

For example Azhar Ali works harder than anybody but he will never be an ATG. Hard work alone isn’t everything, you need talent, which AA doesn’t have, but Umar has in abundance.

People on PP don’t understand this because they just read the scorecard instead of actually watching the batting.
Click to expand...

You serious? Azhar Ali not being an ATG, by the time he retires he definitely be an ATG for Pakistan in test cricket. He has a 300 against his name, 200 in Australia, 200 in Windies, he might very well end up 2nd highest run getter for Pakistan in test cricket.

Umar Akmal has achieved nothing worth noting so far. Please for sake of Pakistan cricket dont compare Umar Akmal to Azhar Ali.
 
Pretty damning on Akmal but sort of unprofessional from BMac as well with the tournament ongoing. Source? Would like to listen to the whole context.
 
Gotham Cronie said:
Pretty damning on Akmal but sort of unprofessional from BMac as well with the tournament ongoing. Source? Would like to listen to the whole context.
Click to expand...

nothing unprofessional about what he said - especially considering he waited till the tournament was practically over for Lahore
 
Honest but some would say unprofessional comments by BMac.

I asked LQ management about his comments and they said "He is Brendon and has his views".
 
It might be unprofessional but Umar needed that. He really has some mental issues otherwise no one could play so much brainless cricket when people are expecting him to take responsibility.
 
Slog said:
Even foreigners cant escape from giving Akmal jr the dreaded 'talent' tag
Click to expand...

IAJ said:
He probably just added this to balance his statement without even mening it.
Click to expand...

Subtle adding salt to the wounds as McCullum will be aware of the talent tag that gets associated with U Akmal.
 
Lol at Umar Akmal and Talent. I just dont see it, with Talent even with all the indiscipline in the world, the talent should still win you the odd game while just waking up from bed even if you have the worst work ethic in the world.

The 90's squad, the likes of Afridi have won many more games for Pakistan compared to Umar Akmal. So this is proof that Umar Akmal is not talented at all.
 
Savak said:
Lol at Umar Akmal and Talent. I just dont see it, with Talent even with all the indiscipline in the world, the talent should still win you the odd game while just waking up from bed even if you have the worst work ethic in the world.

The 90's squad, the likes of Afridi have won many more games for Pakistan compared to Umar Akmal. So this is proof that Umar Akmal is not talented at all.
Click to expand...

Actually Afridi won few test matches as well.
 
The Akmal clan are just an awful addition to any dressing room that wants to sustain standards.They will often bring others down to their levels too.

Nothing will change with U. Akmal. Too much has happened and, often enough, you cannot expect him to change his attitude now.
 
Slog said:
its he's had his troubles. I wrote wrongly but its corrected (heard wrong. same point really though)
Click to expand...

There is a MASSIVE difference between "his head is troubled" and "he's had his troubles".

In terms of meaning. I understand how it could have sounded the same.
 
Umar had a lot of skill, he was touted as once a generation talent for Pakistan by many of the greats. But there seems to be a psychological problem with him. His behavior as a player or individual is not normal. Fights with wardens, coaches, refusal to play if his brother is not played, lack of discipline as a driver or batsman are signs of his mental problems. He has not been able to shed any weight despite the fact that he was clearly told to do so. He seems to be a disorganized individual.

He once also had an epilepsy attack. What was the reason for that?
 
Give him to Quetta next season and I'm sure Saifi and co will make him a beast with a point to prove. Just like Ahmed Shehzad of QG.
 
Even this is being extremely generous and courteous to Akmal.

He has perfected the template of wasted talent and rubbish attitude.

Felt even a year ago he could he salvaged, he's absolutely beyond repair now, every stakeholder should cut their losses on him.

Can only hope the next batsman we get with such ability in his young days has a better head on his shoulders.
 
ataullah said:
Wow very strong words. I wish our seniors and management were as frank as Baz
Click to expand...

Baz has no stake in Pakistani cricket, he can be honest, Plus Baz has a different personality, even in NZ he would be frank and honest.

Waqar assessment on Umar and Shezad is well documented as well. But we did not value his opinion. Others are coming to same conclusion.
 
DeadBall said:
I don't know what that obscure historical reference has got to do with anything. I cannot even comprehend what you're trying to say, nevermind explain it.
Click to expand...

You sound way too angry for someone arguing about a sportsman's talent. When we say that Umar Akmal was/is talented, we mean that he had a kind of natural ability that not many have. In batting terms, that means the ability to pick length, good hand eye coordination, sharp reflexes and a lot of time to play fast bowlers. If you aren't able to see that Akmal had/has all of that, then I'm afraid you weren't paying attention when Umar Akmal burst on to the scene. The fact that he has an IQ of 50 and has utterly wasted that talent doesn't change that.

And remember, nobody here is arguing for his selection (okay, may be a couple of guys here). He might never play for Pakistan again but the fact remains that he had natural ability in abundance. It's a tragedy, really.
 
Umar, Sohaib Maqsood, Imran Nazir, Ahmad Shahzad etc. etc....these are the folks called "talented" while Azhar Ali who has a double century in Australia and runs across the globe is a hardworker (and not talented...as apparently you cannot be both).

Rahul Dravid once mentioned that he took cricket more seriously when he realized how talented he was. He could play certain bowlers well against whom budding cricketers around him struggled. They put in the same effort, they practiced as hard, yet couldn't play as good as him. He realized how lucky he was and started putting more effort into his game.
He ended up as the 4th highest test runs scorer and has played more deliveries in tests than any other batsman in the history of cricket.
 
Raja Sab said:
they have been very frank regarding this guy, Waqar Younis called him out multiple times, him and Shehzad
Click to expand...

Waqar was jealous of their achievement dont you know?

i remember a poster once criticizing Waqar for taking Shehzad to task as according to him Waqar had achieved nothing substantial in his career while Shehzad had already surpassed Waqar's career
 
Tough time for UA. Not doing himself any favor by not listening to BMac. BMac could have been someone who could help him resurrect his career.
 
Waste of talent this guy. I've said before and I'll say it again, the biggest waste of resources for the PCB in the past 10 years.

Sent from my SM-G950F using Tapatalk
 
I agree Umar Akmal is a waste of talent, but Macullum has been constantly moaning and slating his team. He has basically taken no responsibility and repeatedly blamed the team, saying 'I just do what I always do'. Well, doesn't a good captain adapt to the players he has been put in charge of? Can't expect all players to play in the same way. No wonder Ross Taylor and Martin Guptill had a tough time under this fella.
 
FreePalestine said:
I agree Umar Akmal is a waste of talent, but Macullum has been constantly moaning and slating his team. He has basically taken no responsibility and repeatedly blamed the team, saying 'I just do what I always do'. Well, doesn't a good captain adapt to the players he has been put in charge of? Can't expect all players to play in the same way. No wonder Ross Taylor and Martin Guptill had a tough time under this fella.
Click to expand...

T20 Franchise cricket is not like captaining a national team. Captains just stay with the team for few weeks and then they are gone for a year. When you are captaining a team in these leagues, you kind of expect international stars to take care of themselves, you are there to guide the young ones. Umar Akmal has been playing cricket at the highest level for 10 years now, no one can teach him anything unless he wants to learn. Same with other international players in the team. A captain cannot change a team in few weeks, if anyone says he can then he is lying.
 
Akmal has always come across a bit thick/bordering on special needs. But lots of sportsmen worldwide fall into the same category yet are still successful in their careers. Sure the majority of the blame should fall to Akmal himself but I still think that had he had better guidance from family, coaches, friends etc his career wouldn’t be where it is now.
 
Umar needs to see a psychiatrist not only because he is struggling as a player but for his own well being. Its the last hope I guess....
 
Slog said:
Waqar was jealous of their achievement dont you know?

i remember a poster once criticizing Waqar for taking Shehzad to task as according to him Waqar had achieved nothing substantial in his career while Shehzad had already surpassed Waqar's career
Click to expand...

You can't be serious :)))
 
ataullah said:
Wow very strong words. I wish our seniors and management were as frank as Baz
Click to expand...

Waqar Younis said as much, just about every pundit on tv has said the exact same thing. If it hasnt got through to him by now then its his own fault.
 
Titan24 said:
Umar needs to see a psychiatrist not only because he is struggling as a player but for his own well being. Its the last hope I guess....
Click to expand...

I agree with this. Sports psychology is so important and can really help someone who has skill and talent but lacks something upstairs or is locked up in a mental battle. The best example is Froch after the first Groves fight, where Groves words really got to him and at times, in heated press conferences, he looked like he was about to cry.

Come rematch, he had hired a psychologist, who helped him tune out Groves words, concentrate on himself etc. So yes, it can really help.
 
Maybe the guy is just a bit thick and doesnt have the capacity to take on board the either the advice given or how to implement it.
 
giri26 said:
T20 Franchise cricket is not like captaining a national team. Captains just stay with the team for few weeks and then they are gone for a year. When you are captaining a team in these leagues, you kind of expect international stars to take care of themselves, you are there to guide the young ones. Umar Akmal has been playing cricket at the highest level for 10 years now, no one can teach him anything unless he wants to learn. Same with other international players in the team. A captain cannot change a team in few weeks, if anyone says he can then he is lying.
Click to expand...

not asking him to change the team, and Umar Akmal is clearly unreformable anyway. But you have to understand the team's culture and lead according to that. By the same token, MacCullum can't come in and 'do what he has been doing with every team' again. He should sense the team culture and be able to adapt accordingly. Doesn't mean reforming players, means understanding them. As I said before, the guy couldn't get the best out of Guptill and Taylor, the latter probably NZ's greatest ever batsman, because he didn't fit into the team culture! Sure, he had some success with NZ with a new brand of cricket, but gotta understand that players are different and you have to allow them to express themselves in their own way.

Not to say that McCullum is wholly responsible for Qalanders sole form, but shirking responsibility, slating his team (not just Akmal) is poor captaincy, no doubt about it.
 
"Umar Akmal got a great blueprint of what to do today from his brother" : Brendon McCullum

Quotes from Brendon McCullum's press conference


<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-partner="tweetdeck"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">Brendon McCullum "Umar Akmal got a great blueprint of what to do today from his brother and I am sure he sat back and thought he could be in a situation like this in future. But he has to make sure that he is performing to get himself those opportunities" <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/PSL2018?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#PSL2018</a></p>— Saj Sadiq (@Saj_PakPassion) <a href="https://twitter.com/Saj_PakPassion/status/974732567193714696?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">March 16, 2018</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>


"We are really disappointed we are out of the tournament"

"We had high hopes when we came into the tournament, we had a good draft but I guess we had some injuries which effected the quality of players we had"

"We too just too long to find our feet"

"Its frustrating, disappointing and (a case of ) missed opportunities"
 
Brilliant. Akmal should take a year off from domestic cricket altogether. Improve his mental and physical health and then come back all guns blazing.

I fully support him. He has the talent.
 
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