The former Pakistan wicketkeeper-batsman Zulqarnain Haider, recently, slammed Umar Akmal who was recently banned from playing all the formats of cricket for a period of 3 years on corruption charges by the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) Disciplinary Panel.
Umar Akmal, who made a blockbuster entry with a century in his first Test match in 2009, has been banned for three months which is effective from February 20, when he was provisionally suspended by the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) under its anti-corruption code, as per which a player must report being approached to fix games.
Recently, Zulqarnain Haider slammed Umar Akmal and said that players like him should be banned for life for bringing shame to the game. He was quoted by BDcrictime saying:
“No, it is not news to me. I am not at all surprised. In fact, these players should be banned for life. This I have been telling with my experience,”
Haider also shared a moment when Umar Akmal asked him to under-perform during a match against South Africa on November 2, 2010 at the Dubai Sports City (DSC). He revealed:
“It was a very crucial match (South Africa won the match by two) and when I was batting, Umar Akmal brought drinks for us and had told me to under-perform. His clear words were don’t bat efficiently. I had then clearly told him to only perform his drinks man duty. The matter was also brought to the team management after the match,”
He added:
“The pressure was too much on me and I was being threatened for the next game also. I could not bear this (pressure) and had to run away to England thereafter,”
