Former Pakistani cricketer Kamran Akmal fumed over the treatment meted out to his brother Umar Akmal by the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB).
Unhappy to see his brother being 'unfairly' snubbed, Akmal lashed out at Pakistan skipper Babar Azam, suggesting he should keep his 'personal agendas' aside and put the national team first.
Akmal accused the Pakistan captain of putting his own personal preferences on top priority in national selection, especially when it comes to Umar Akmal being snubbed from ODI team.
"Keep your personal agendas aside, drafting a team should be about putting Pakistan first, not personal agendas or preferences. It's concerning to see players being shifted between formats based on connections rather than performance. We can't afford to treat team selection like a game of musical chairs," said Kamran, as per Cricket Pakistan.
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Kamran believes that players in the ODI setup shouldn't be snubbed on the basis of their performance in the T20I setup.
"The team selection should not be based on transitioning players between formats solely on the basis of their connections in the board. It's not right to include someone in the ODI lineup just because they didn't perform well in T20I. This seems like a game of musical chairs, and it's not fair to the team or the players," said the senior Akmal.
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Kamran further said that Umar 'deserves to play' and that would probably happen when the people at the higher-level change. He further urged Babar Azam, who is also their cousin, to take notice of the same.
"Teams shouldn't be based on liking or disliking. Umar deserves to be part of the team. Change of faces at higher levels should come with a change of approach and selection criteria. I don't think they're dealing with Umar appropriately. He deserves to play for the national side.
The team captain should also think about this, not only the selection committee. He's been with the team for the last four to five years, he should look for the ground requirements of the team," said Kamran Akmal.
