Umar Akmal shares how Wahab Riaz reacted to his comeback plea

02 May, 2025

The right-handed batter has, in the past, expressed his wish to make a comeback to the Pakistan squad.

In a recent interview with a private TV channel, Umar Akmal revealed that he had informed former Pakistan cricket team manager Wahab Riaz about his plan to play for Pakistan.

“I keep saying that I want to play and I am being asked if I appeared in trials. Wahab Riaz asked me ‘Have you played trial matches?’ I was like, ‘What are you talking about?’ I told him that I am available,” he said.

In an earlier interview, the middle-order batter Umar Akmal also made shocking claims about his differences with former head coach Waqar Younis.

Akmal recalled an incident where, after scoring a century in a Test match, instead of receiving praise, Younis remarked, “You’ve started playing T20 cricket in Tests.”

Umar Akmal expressed his dismay, stating that such comments demoralised him as a young player.

He shared that in another instance, after being dismissed in the second Test, Younis sarcastically commented, “Where’s your T20 cricket now?” Highlighting the impact of this behavior, Akmal questioned the approach taken by the coaching staff towards nurturing young players.