Were players like Umar Akmal unlucky not to play under Sarfaraz Ahmed's captaincy?

[SarfiBabarHaris]

I thought about it seeing the new kids like Shadab, Fakhar, Imam, Rumman, Usman, Faheem making their debut under Sarfraz and all of them performing well and making a mark. Also new players like Babar and Hasan setting the world on fire. Even in Quetta Gladiators youngsters like Hassan Khan and Nawaz flourished under Sarfraz.

On the under hand Umar made his debut in 2009 under Younis and then played majority of his career under Afridi and Misbah... While i do beileve a part of Umar's downfall was his own fault but I have strong feeling now that he would have done well under Sarfraz..

For a young kid playing domestic and u-19 cricket, there is nothing more in life than to play for Pakistan and make it huge at international level.. Umar like many others must had this dream too but soon he went to the Afridi way as he saw that in Pakistan style, showbaazi and 'entertaining' crowd is more important than consistent match winning efforts. Then he played under Misbah and slumped even further... The drive to succeed and be the best is not there anymore.

Seeing how Sarfraz praise every youngster, frequently giving them credit, backing and pushing them for their best, and all of them happy from him I do believe Umar would have a much better career. One difference I have seen in this current team is the team environment and every player pushing for his best for team's win rather than individual performances.

Do you think Umar akmal and the likes would have a better career under Sarfraz?

 

[SarfiBabarHaris]

Also a captain who is relatively not too old helps too I think.. You feel more comfortable and confident and I feel confidence is key in cricket.

 

[SarfiBabarHaris]

[MENTION=138254]Syed1[/MENTION] [MENTION=143344]babajee[/MENTION] [MENTION=142670]mak36[/MENTION] [MENTION=133760]Abdullah719[/MENTION]

 

[Chief Destroyer]

Umar was unlucky to be born without brain cells.

 

[SarfiBabarHaris]

Was just thinking even post injury Junaid isn't doing that bad..

 

[Monsee]

Umar was unlucky to be born without brain cells.

This!

OP: Also, with his brainless head and dramaay baaz style, how was he gonna survive under Sarfraz who is almost in the mould of Imran i.e. you make one silly mistake on a single ball in the field and Sarfraz will rip you to pieces infront of everyone?

How is that style of captain gonna cope with someone who is more worried about his green lipstick than scoring runs?

 

[SarfiBabarHaris]

This!

OP: Also, with his brainless head and dramaay baaz style, how was he gonna survive under Sarfraz who is almost in the mould of Imran i.e. you make one silly mistake on a single ball in the field and Sarfraz will rip you to pieces infront of everyone?

How is that style of captain gonna cope with someone who is more worried about his green lipstick than scoring runs?

He was not that as a kid.. saw him in u-19 and looked someone who was passionate about making it big for Pakistan. Unfortunately soon he followed the Afridi way.

 

[babajee]

Definitely. It isn’t a coincidence that all the debuting youngsters have flourished under Sarfaraz.

He backs them and gives them the confidence to express themselves fully without fear, something which other captains like Azhar didn’t.

Best captain since IK.

 

[SarfiBabarHaris]

When your team is not winning consistently, gradually fans start accepting mediocrity and feel ok with individual performances. This is the reason why Pakistanis were in general fine with team reaching quarter finals and semi finals. Individual performances of Afridi's 30 ball 50 and Misbah's 64 not out off 90 were praised.. People were happy with fastest 50s and Misbah's 47 average.

Umar saw this and went the Afridi way (play little cameos at 100+ SR and win fans). His average dropped from 40 to 35 with lesser and lesser contribution in wins..
I do think he would have a better career now under Sarfraz and in a winning team...

 

[Buffet]

Do you think Umar should make a come back under this great captain?

 

[Syed1]

Can we just close the chapter on Umar Akmal already? I don't see people making threads about Imran Farhat or Yasir Hameed. Umar Akmal is that caliber of player.

 

[SarfiBabarHaris]

Do you think Umar should make a come back under this great captain?

Not right now. Should stay out of the side for atleast 1 year what he did to Mickey. Playing for your country is not a joke. Should be taught a lesson.

 

[Savak]

Umar Akmal couldn't do jack under Mccullams captaincy. He is far too damaged to repair now.

 

[Shinwari Khan]

Oh the Akmal brothers!! Aren’t they making $100,000 each per year playing T20 leagues around the world?

 

[SarfiBabarHaris]

[mention=57576]mrsn[/mention]

 

[ExpressPacer]

What about young players like Amir, Sarfraz himself, Yasir Shah who flourished during the same time period? Yes, captaincy definitely plays a role but at the end of the day, Umar Akmal played 150 international cricket matches. The bat was in his hand.

 

[SarfiBabarHaris]

Definitely. It isn’t a coincidence that all the debuting youngsters have flourished under Sarfaraz.

He backs them and gives them the confidence to express themselves fully without fear, something which other captains like Azhar didn’t.

Best captain since IK.

Yes the data is pretty much big now to validate this opinion and its not just a coincidence. Even Malik said this is the best time of his life enjoying playing for Pakistani team.

 

[MRSN]

[mention=57576]mrsn[/mention]

Pakistan's batting resources were on display last night against this Sri Lanka's C grade bowling. And those batting resources had the experience of Hafeez and Malik. Even 124 against this bowling was made to look like a massive total that needed Shadab's cameo to bring us home in the last over. Umar is a lower order power hitter that we are searching for desperately. He is the only batsman looks capable of being no.6 batsman for Pakistan. But he needs to find his form and get his head cleared. Can't play him based on his past performances alone. He needs to prove himself in the domestic cricket and needs to be among top five batsmen.

 

[Markhor]

Nah, as [MENTION=2501]Savak[/MENTION] said he did nothing under "aggressive captain" McCullum in the PSL batting in his favoured position.

Even in the Pakistan Cup he was a failure and he himself was captain !

This trend of blaming management, captain, coaches etc for a player's unprofessionalism or lack of form must stop - the player is responsible for his career and Akmal had many opportunities to prove his worth.

 

[SarfiBabarHaris]

Nah, as [MENTION=2501]Savak[/MENTION] said he did nothing under "aggressive captain" McCullum in the PSL batting in his favoured position.

Even in the Pakistan Cup he was a failure and he himself was captain !

This trend of blaming management, captain, coaches etc for a player's unprofessionalism or lack of form must stop - the player is responsible for his career and Akmal had many opportunities to prove his worth.

That was 1 -2 years ago when Umar lost his form and drive to succeed.. A young Umar with passion for making it big for Pakistan would have definitely flourished under Sarfraz.. or booted out after 40 matches for his attitude.

 

[Sirris]

Umar has only himself to blame. He is still young and nothing is stopping him to put in the hard work and show what he is all about. Especially since he has in PSL a platform which did not exist in the past and from which all the youngwr players are coming from.

So far though, he is busy trying to expose "the conspiracy" of the illuminatis against him.

 

[ask_analyse_act]

Could be if he made his debut under Sarfraz. But now he is damaged a lot to be repair.. he needs to fix a lot more than he himself thinks he should..

Umar has to fix his discipline, fitness, passion, attitude first.. then comes his scoring ability and amount of runs scored in domestic...

 

[SarfiBabarHaris]

Few other youngsters that come to my mind who would have done well under Sarfraz are Raza Hasan, Sharjeel , Mohammad Rizwan and Nasir Jamshed..

 

[WhenSultansBowled]

Someone who disrespects coach, the team and whole country publicly should be slapped in the public square!

Both UAkmal/Shehzad can't blame anything on anyone. Man up.

 

[Sirris]

Few other youngsters that come to my mind who would have done well under Sarfraz are Raza Hasan, Sharjeel , Mohammad Rizwan and Nasir Jamshed..

I am not sure if you are being serious now!

Nasir Jamshed and Raza Hasan? Isn't Raza Hasan the kid who was tested for cocaine? I don't think Sarfraz is a magician with a magic wand.

Besides we are seeing the fruits of the whole team management and coaching staff and not just Sarfaraz'magic touch.

 

[SarfiBabarHaris]

I am not sure if you are being serious now!

Nasir Jamshed and Raza Hasan? Isn't Raza Hasan the kid who was tested for cocaine? I don't think Sarfraz is a magician with a magic wand.

Besides we are seeing the fruits of the whole team management and coaching staff and not just Sarfaraz'magic touch.

They were not guided properly.. you do get motivation when your captain approach a fixing offer instantly.. this is the kind of guidance and mentoring they needed..

ofcourse team management and selfless seniors like Malik should also be applauded.

 

[SarfiBabarHaris]

Also did you watch Raza in u-19 world cup.. the hunger, the passion, the fight he showed when his team was down and out.. unfortunately the kid got into bad company and lacked guidance ..

 

[SarfiBabarHaris]

This thread is not just about Umar Akmal..

I ask you guys a simple question: would a kid like Amir have taken the fixing way if Sarfraz was our captain instead of Butt ? On one hand you have a captain who indulge players into fixing and on other side a captain who who takes a bold step and report fixing approach.. what kind of impact that would make on youngsters.. I know my answer.

 

[pkwdpassion]

I consider Sarfaraz Ahmed more fortunate, not have to deal with Akmals or else he would'nt have the winning streak that he has today. These Akmals sunk Pakistan cricket, and the best LoI captain in the recent past [of Pakistan] like Younis Khan by revolting against him just to prolong their pathetic existence in the side without performing and not letting in youngsters to replace them. Younis Khan was the only cricketer who complained to the board about suspicious people meeting on their hotel floor, they got rid of him and installed Mohammed Yousuf. Yousuf was also done by their underperforming in Sydney Test [an opportunity Pakistan lost of winning a test match on Aus. soil]. This all led to 2010 spotfixing where Pakistan suffered the worst scandal in history which broke the spine of Pakistan cricket team and pushed back cricket for a few years. The Akmals sports agent destroyed 3 good careers minus Akmals to keep on ruining Pakistan cricket. So many victims of Akmal/MAliks' politics like Fawad Alam and many players who wre'nt given chance during 8-9 years.

People forget U. Akmal was the same person who faked injury when a debutant[now captain] Sarfraz Ahmed was given chance replacing Kamran Akmal. U. Akmal's disciplinary offences continued taking advantage of the incompetent and unstable PCB.

I admit I FEAR the Akmals, Malik and selector Inzimam(on whose residence the revolt against Younis Khan was held). Pakistan crcket has suffered major blows from outside like ICC [Ajmal ban, dope testing, isolation and ACU actions that undermined image of Pak players] but its real challenges are these dangerous people within. Real attack always comes from the inner circle, and all the shady characters like Inzamam [named in Qayyum report,his lobbying to keep Mushtaq Ahmed in the side in 90s, Younis revolt, etc.] are still in the system.

It would be vital for the health of Pakistan cricket side and Sarfaraz Ahmed to keep these above-mentioned names [Akmals, Malik, Inzi, etc..] far away from his side. How Inzimam is selecting selfie Shahzad, his nephew with 36 average and senior leeches like Hafeez, Malik is for all to see. These unproductive but connected players are the real challenge for Mickey Arthur and Sarfraz Ahmed, hope PCB stands with its most successful captain and coach.

 

[JibranAnsari]

Umar has low iq and his performance wont change under any captain

 

[Prince of Pakistan]

He still can if he starts behaving and performing well in domestic games.

Mickey is a white guy and they usually keep it professional instead of having grudges. He will take U.Akmal back if he starts behaving like all the others.

 

[Mirpur express]

No. Maybe if Safy was captaan by 2010 but the ship has sailed & tbh we need a dasher but this dude already has too much baggage , so i'd rather have professor & no 6 just now

 

[Mirpur express]

Umar has low iq and his performance wont change under any captain

Could not agree more

 

[ads101]

How does a captain teach a batsman how to bat? Umar even had the chances to bat with experienced guys like Yousuf too when he debuted.

A good captain can get more out of the bowlers, but doubt that extends to the batsmen.

 

[PerfectionPersonified]

Just an enquiry, this is a serious thread? Correct?

 

[SarfiBabarHaris]

How does a captain teach a batsman how to bat? Umar even had the chances to bat with experienced guys like Yousuf too when he debuted.

A good captain can get more out of the bowlers, but doubt that extends to the batsmen.

So do you think team environment, confidence, backing and supporting youngsters don't help?

 

[SarfiBabarHaris]

Just an enquiry, this is a serious thread? Correct?

G its a serious thread and not only about Umar. .I mentioned some other names like Amir above too..
Don't think Amir would have indulged in fixing if he played under Sarfraz instead of Butt.. One ask his teammates to do fixing, other takes bold steps to report fixers. See the difference ? That would have impacted on Amir in a much better way.

 

[Hasan123]

OPs love for Sarfraz is going OTT now. Umar has only himself to blame for not performing as an international player. He was given a lot of chances and didn't perform.

Sarfraz can't make Umar work on his batting and force him to improve his fitness.

 

[ads101]

So do you think team environment, confidence, backing and supporting youngsters don't help?

So you think previous captains didn't back youngsters? All captains just want players to help them win. If Hasan and Babar etc. weren't performing doubt Sarfraz would want them in the side. Sami for example is also a young guy, who played a total of 4 ODIs. Was dropped because he didn't performed (and rightly too). Guys like Jamshed and Umar were praised greatly in the early part of their career when they were performing.

I guess it is easier to peform/debut in a winning team than it is in a losing team. For example if you're top 7 is full of very strong batsmen easier to bat with them as better support at the other end/take the pressure off.

 

[SarfiBabarHaris]

OPs love for Sarfraz is going OTT now. Umar has only himself to blame for not performing as an international player. He was given a lot of chances and didn't perform.

Sarfraz can't make Umar work on his batting and force him to improve his fitness.

OP loves team players and performers and back them in thick and thin, not just a fairweather fan.. Glad OP supported Sarfraz, Babar, Haris and Shadab from the start and not losers.

 

[SarfiBabarHaris]

So you think previous captains didn't back youngsters?

Yes quite a few of them were not backed properly... Infact few captains made negative impact on young kids.. For example Afridi on Umar, Salman on Amir etc.. Similarly as a coach Waqar had a negative impact on Sarfraz.

 

[Hasan123]

OP loves team players and performers and back them in thick and thin, not just a fairweather fan.. Glad OP supported Sarfraz, Babar, Haris and Shadab from the start and not losers.

Didn't question your support for the team,just your love for Sarfraz is going OTT. He's not perfect.

 

[SarfiBabarHaris]

Didn't question your support for the team,just your love for Sarfraz is going OTT. He's not perfect.

I never said he is perfect.. I don't believe in binary 0 or 1.. In this thread too I didnt intend to say that Sarfraz has some kind of magic wand and will turn players into class performers but i do think there are some players in past who would have fared better under Sarfi..

 

[Hasan123]

I never said he is perfect.. I don't believe in binary 0 or 1.. In this thread too I didnt intend to say that Sarfraz has some kind of magic wand and will turn players into class performers but i do think there are some players in past who would have fared better under Sarfi..

Umar Akmal isn't one. His failures go beyond playing under a certain captain or coach.

 

[ads101]

Yes quite a few of them were not backed properly... Infact few captains made negative impact on young kids.. For example Afridi on Umar, Salman on Amir etc.. Similarly as a coach Waqar had a negative impact on Sarfraz.

How did Afridi not back Umar? A bit unsure about this. I do think that the unrealistic expectations placed on umar did play with his head (i.e. he didn't finish games or gifted his wicket too easily despite when he was consistently making runs. I'm sure he could have eventually learned it with time, he was young at that point).

I don't think you can bring fixing into it. If Amir fixed under Salman, he was likely to fix under other captains. We don't even know it was the first time Amir fixed, just the first time he got caught. Salman himself tactically was a good captain. And if anything Amir performance wise performed better under Salman.

Babar for example did well with the bat even under Azhar's captaincy, 52 at SR 92. If anything he technically scored faster even if Azhar's style of batting is slow compared to Sarfraz.

I think you're right when it comes to bowlers but batsmen, I don't think the effect is big. Good batsmen will perform regardless of the situation. Umar performed in New Zealand when Yousuf was captain, and Yousuf wasn't a great captain at all. Haris again performed under Misbah's captaincy too, even though Sarfraz is a superior captain.

Honestly think Umar's biggest problem is lack of confidence, the more his career progressed he turned more into a slogger, slogging being a release of pressure shot rather than forging his innings. Probably because he was conscious of the media criticism of him gifting his wicket and not finishing matches. Think he's been working less on his batting technique in latter years, again relying on pure hitting talent and a lack of discipline in terms of fitness has hurt him too, especially due to the fact that he can't pick up singles like he used to.

Honestly I think if Umar becomes fit again, focuses a bit more on his technique rather than resorting to slogging, have faith to try and forge a proper innings, he'll come good. I don't believe there's too much wrong with him, just slight adjustments needed.

 

[SarfiBabarHaris]

How did Afridi not back Umar? A bit unsure about this. I do think that the unrealistic expectations placed on umar did play with his head (i.e. he didn't finish games or gifted his wicket too easily despite when he was consistently making runs. I'm sure he could have eventually learned it with time, he was young at that point).

I don't think you can bring fixing into it. If Amir fixed under Salman, he was likely to fix under other captains. We don't even know it was the first time Amir fixed, just the first time he got caught. Salman himself tactically was a good captain. And if anything Amir performance wise performed better under Salman.

Babar for example did well with the bat even under Azhar's captaincy, 52 at SR 92. If anything he technically scored faster even if Azhar's style of batting is slow compared to Sarfraz.

I think you're right when it comes to bowlers but batsmen, I don't think the effect is big. Good batsmen will perform regardless of the situation. Umar performed in New Zealand when Yousuf was captain, and Yousuf wasn't a great captain at all. Haris again performed under Misbah's captaincy too, even though Sarfraz is a superior captain.

Honestly think Umar's biggest problem is lack of confidence, the more his career progressed he turned more into a slogger, slogging being a release of pressure shot rather than forging his innings. Probably because he was conscious of the media criticism of him gifting his wicket and not finishing matches. Think he's been working less on his batting technique in latter years, again relying on pure hitting talent and a lack of discipline in terms of fitness has hurt him too, especially due to the fact that he can't pick up singles like he used to.

Honestly I think if Umar becomes fit again, focuses a bit more on his technique rather than resorting to slogging, have faith to try and forge a proper innings, he'll come good. I don't believe there's too much wrong with him, just slight adjustments needed.

Unfortunately Amir played for National Bank under the captaincy of Salman at the start of his career which had a bad influence on him... I seriously believe it does make a lot of difference when you play under a fixer captain as compare to a captain who boldly report fixing approaches, always put Pakistan first even though he is not that much naturally talented.. Amir would have not got involved in fixing if he had started his career under the wings of Sarfraz.. Thats my view! A 17 year old youngster with world on his feet, why would he do that? Certainly got into bad company and mentored by wrong people... Also I doubt any of our current lot would imagine to do fixing after what Sarfraz did.. Was listening to some 'clean' cricketers of past and they said its a huge step forward and the kind o precedence which needed to be set... Youngsters will now be more bold and comfortable reporting such approaches.

 

[CleverSir]

This is such a pre-mature thread. The man hasn't been in charge long enough to be using the past tense. If you really care ask this in 3 years.

 

[Mueez]

No because the Akmal 'khandaan' is brainless!

 

[SarfiBabarHaris]

No because the Akmal 'khandaan' is brainless!

and the others I mentioned above ?