Impose a fine. Not on Umar but on them who sent him to England without evaluating his fitness in Lahore.

Umar Akmal has become a liability on multiple accounts. He should be repatriated and kept away from the team. No one is indispensible.

If he fails the fitness test twice, what is there for the Board to consider? Either you are serious about fitness or you are not.

No player should have been allowed to board the plane without passing the fitness test in Pakistan PCB know the art of wasting money

Well, if he is not physically fit, he should be sent back. No question about it.

and the PCB obsession with Akmals continue. on monday the management will ask him to stay with the team and he will play the series without success & some more disciplinary issues. the pattern is so predictable that its not so funny anymore.

If he is not sent back then PCB is short changing our cricket team. Can Inzy explain why an unfit player is in the team while more deserving players like Fawad Alam are kept out of the team.

But Umar is too powerful with right connections..he will be in team somehow..

There is for sure tremendous talent in every field in the "land of the pure." That talent will speak for itself if given the right opportunity at the right time. The "movers and shakers" of PCB must start looking for a suitable replacement of the unfit cricketer currently part of the touring party in England and immediately send him back home. That way, others on the same footings will get a loud and clear message that even if they are superstars, they could be sent back home if they are unfit. Inadvertently, all touring party members will try their best to keep themselves fit and the team will not have a fitness problem anymore.

Better late than never. Send him back, we don't need unfit players. It is unfortunate Umar Akmal never learns from his previous history.

Just an fyi guys...it was actully a mental fitness evaluation that Umar failed

@Nadir Aziz answer is simple, Inzimam was never fit so he feels that fitness is not important. In his case, he was atleast a world class batsman but Umar Akmal is good for domestic or max for franchise cricket. He is not international material

We are forgetting that in the past great players of our country have performed without being 100% fit... 1992 world cup being a prime example... Miandad was barely fit to play.. but then Umar Akmal is no Miandad... :)

I think Head Coach Mickey Arthur can explain how an unfit player got on the team. It is a very serious matter.

@Omar Agreed.

As a cricket fan i follow lot of cricket in the world but this i am hearing for 1st time that a cricketer who wasnot injured, is relatively younger , was a regular in Pakistani team sometime ago fails a fitness test ,Mishbah and Yonus will be missed also for their proffesionalism

Take action against the mentally unfit persons who are responsible for sending him to UK. R.S. Menon, Bangalore

There is a lot of player bashing, but less focus on their human development. He was 19 year old swashbuckling player for us at one time, looking better than the likes of Kohli. With change of management and mis-management of board, we continue to waste talent like him. We haven't really recovered from post Wasim and Waqar void that was left in the last 15 years. Add to it the way PCB has been run since Pervez Musharaf left, the sport is in tatters.

Umar Akmal is one of the most talented players in the Pakistan team. He is a match winner in his own right. Make him work hard on his fitness for the next 10 days rather than sending him back. I want to see a good competitive cricket match on June 4. May the better team win. .. from a cricket loving Indian

Umar Akmal is probably the best connected cricketer in Pakistan. Everyone is scared to act when it comes to dismissing him.

@J. Gamble - Not the coach, selection committee should explain, how he was selected if he is not fit.

fitness in reality do not matter for batting. just use the twelth man for fielding . Is he able to hit fours and sixes in practice. that is good enough.

callng test players like haris n umar whoz strike rates r 60 to 80 to replace only crktr in squad who can play modern is callous, fatal to pak crkt... look for big hitters to compete wth othr teams...Umar Amin n Haris shud replace Misbah n Younis in test.

@KP Imran khan with an injured shoulder even bowled in WC

Haris Sohail n Umar Amin r test players, thy cant play big shots as requird in ODI now, PCB shud call Mukhtar n Zia like hitters in ODI as well...

Haris Sohail n Umar Amin r test players, thy cant play big shots as requird in ODI now, PCB shud call Mukhtar n Zia like hitters in ODI as well...

@Dr. Salaria, Aamir Ahmad; Great comment Doctor. But we missed "green shirts" specially in a comment about cricket. All the best to you.

I wonder who's behind him that he keeps finding place in the team despite poor performance, unfitness, breach of discipline? He's a bad influence on the team and youngsters.

@Citizen when did he got any match won at his own? apart from being a highly unreliable batsman and a highly highly unreliable gloveman behind wickets; he had been a discipline case. i think umar akmal should have been banned for atleast 5 years once he faked injury when his elder bro was dropped from team in australia after that famous defeat we had while being on verge of victory. this guy is not needed in cricket; period

Umar Akmal again? When will he learn?

Did Inzamam ever pass a fitness test in his time?

@Syed no not the management, bit he himself is responsible for this situation. Albeit having same angry quality like Kohli, akmal and shahzad have no physical fitness, awareness of the situation, temperament and never-say-die like Kohli

One of the best decision by PCB in recent times!!

He took cricket and PCB for granted.

Its time to pull the plug on Akmal. He has been tried and tested probably more then anyone in history. On top of that he comes with a VERY negative and poor attitude and personality.

its shambolic act on part of those PCB officials/ selectors / ch selector / Chief and Najam Sethi, who sent him in first place without any fitness test... for God sake let this govt and such departments be run by professionals rather than those who are shoe shiners of this govt.

@Citizen seems like u know cricket well,spot on , he is one of the most talented players in the side who could upset any team anywhere,but that's the unfortunate nature of Pakistani sports is,they are their own enemies,this gay needs to be in the team,first find a better talent than him then replace him,if u really are honest to your country.

Indisciplined players and unfit players should be out of team. Both akmal brothers are liability to Pakistan team, failed repeatedly in major tournaments but yet selected. Can't understand the criteria why such liabilities are selected repeatedly.

A person who earns his living from sports must put in the effort not to do so only suggests that individual doesnt care....an individual who doesnt care shouldnt be picked. Its clear that not only does Umar Akmal have issues with his attitude but also his fitness....right decision of sending him back and not picking him until he is serious enough to take his career seriously. However, i have this funny feeling it is probably more to it than the eye meets, we shall never know.

how unprofessional.

And he was compared to Kohli. Of course all these comparisons happens at one place.

Good for Pakistan

Wasn't he Pakistan's Kohli ?

@Shahid I agree with the spirit of the comment, but when was the last time it happened! Regardless, a very good gesture by the board

I sense a politics here. Hafeez and co wants their players only in squad. Poor decision. He is your best limited over batsman as well as fielder.

@R.s. Menon great comment agreed

@Citizen: Umar Akmal is one of the most talented players in the Pakistan team. Is it? Do you mean talent in showing attitude and dancing, right? :) Cricket: Let me give UA comparative stats. I would not compare him with proper batsmen but with w/k (Sarfraz), even though one expects that UA as batsman should have better stats than w/k. So, here is comparison: UA Test: Ave 36 with SR 66. Has 1 century in 28 comp ings. SA Test: Ave 41 with SR 74. Has 3 century in 51 comp ings. Tests: Shows UA ave, century / ing as well as SR is worse than SA. UA ODIs: Ave 35 with SR 86. Has 2 century in 88 comp ings. SA ODIs: Ave 36 with SR 89. Has 2 century in 44 comp ings. ODIs: Shows UA ave, century / match as well as SR is worse than SA. UA T20Is: Ave 27 with SR 123. Has 8 fifties in 63 comp ings. SA T20Is: Ave 30 with SR 119. Has 2 fifties in 14 comp ings. T20Is: Shows UA ave and fifties / match is worse than SA, though SR is slightly better. So, where is UA talent gone?

Forget about unfitness,you should have retired by now given your numerous failures.Don't try your luck anymore.Team is better off without you.

@SYED, a very good point. How can people like Umar Akmal who were world class when they started their careers, turn so average with passage of time. Umar has a horrible attitude towards cricket but PCB did wasted him. He was supposed to be our limited overs number 3 for next decade and half but trying too many things with him, like attempting to turn hm into a wicket keeper batsman who could slog few in end overs ruined his progress. He should be asked to play domestic cricket for coupl of years and improve himself on and off the field.

@kashif: Can't you see any player in Pakistan better than Umar Amin? How Umar Amin is test player when his first class average is ~39 and made century once in 12 comp innings? How about Fawad Alam replacing Younis Khan in Pakistan team as his first class average is 56.5 and has a century every 7 innings (both figures is better than any Pakistani player ever). Fawad test average is 41.7 (with one century) but than he only played 3 tests (6 innings), and that is too few innings to quote figures. Actually, Fawad should have been in test team since long time, but Pakistani bias culture full of discrimination, provincialism, parchi culture and like/dislike has kept him away, even though he is better batsman than any Pakistani present and past batsman (even for limited overs), and that shows in his stats.

And the drama start

It's all politics. The team management first didn't want Kamran Akmal. Even after scoring 1400 runs in the domestic, when he was selected for WI tour, the team management resisted the selection. And the same has happened to Umar Akmal, who when in form is the only Pakistani batsman able to finish with a 200 strike rate. Why should the fans not wonder that a player who has been cleared for fitness at the national academy before selection, has now been declared unfit after two weeks. Shaharyar is incompetent on this post and has shown to be a person who would listen to whatever others say and due to old age has no judgment capabilities of his own left intact.

Now ,They will send Umer Amin or Haris Sohail even Sohaib Maqsood is a possibility .or may be Afridi withdrew his retirement on elders/nation's request. There are at least 15 more successful batters from Pak Cup, List A and PSL. Does Fawad Alam still play cricket?

Why did PCB waste money in sending him there in the first place? Will anyone at PCB be held accountable for this?

@shdhsn -Head Coach is always a member of the Selection Committee.

@Citizen Agreed

Drama continues and this corrupt PCB is going to continue to miss manage PCB money. This is nothing but a joke now and PCB is a joke itself.

Pakistan needs to move on from the Akmals. However as long as Inzamam is the chief selector this seems unlikely since he has previously shown himself to be partial to them.

What is basically reason of unfitness. Bad Shoulder , Overweight, Too Slow , Ankle Problem. He is constantly playing T20 all over the World and Have some headline innings. Has played PSL and Pak Cup. Fielded wonderfully​ in last T20 played as 12th man. In last one year as I remember never left the field, rather has been an improved fielder.

The whole thing looks fishy, how come the people concerned were not able to find whether the player was fit or not before leaving Pakistan? To me it seems he has been sent back on disciplinary grounds, but the management for some reason doesn't want to disclose the right fact.

And just like that, Pakistan's chances of doing well just went up! Seriously, I think Pak will win at least one game because this intellectually challenged juvenile is not part of the team.

Here we go again....arguably the best batsman in Pakistan after Misbah and Younus' retirement has been dropped from the squad once more for trivial reasons. The same Umar Akmal will now sign up for county or league cricket in England and prove that his fitness is a non-issue. It's such a pity to see such a tremendous talent go to waste just as Younus was forced into the wilderness time and again in his illustrious career. Misbah too suffered in the hands of the powers that be till the age of 36 when most people call it a day. Hope Akmal gives a befitting reply to the nay sayers and lets his bat do the talking.

BTW, there are several who passed the fitness test, but failed to deliver. PCB needs to learn how to tackle internal matters without advertising them.

Who needs fitness in 5 or 10 minutes of mild exercise

@Shazad, Do you know anything about cricket? How can you compare him with a batsman who bats at No. 6 or 7 and has all the reasons to stay not out. Why don't you compare with Asad Shafiq who has an average of 26 and still has been darling of selectors for ODIs, or any other proper ODI batsman except Baber Azam. Is his average of 35 amyway lesser than Raina who is considered a good indian ODI batsman? What about the strike rate when compared to Azhar Ali, Ahmad Shehzad or Shoaib Malik? Is it better or worse then them. Ofcourse Sarfraz comes in to bat when 4 or 5 overs are left and he would be suposed to score at above 100 SR.

Incompetent pcb officials sent him on tour despite knowing his fitness level but still its a Blessing in disguise as umar akmal is a proven failure and dosent deserve to be selected

No offense meant but the green shirts on an average are not physically great. They are sloppy fielders, miss catches that are sitters, get run out and are afraid to dive to save boundaries.They will have to work hard on this account if they are to pose a challenge to the more fitter teams.Only a younger and fitter team out to prove themselves will achieve this and not some old fogies who have taken their place for granted. Best of luck.

@Shahid Spot on

At last his source did'nt work.

Fit or Unfit, he will surely play for Pakistan not because of his potential but because of connections.

He was such a promising player. His talent was wasted by imposing wicket-keeping on him, just to eliminate a more deserving one. Now he's not a wicket-keeper that he never was, nor the batsman he could have been. The ego is of PCB has crossed the criminal level. Wonder how many other talents were sacrificed in this manner, to sideline unwanted talents.

@Citizen I agree. Umar Akmal is one batsmen who can turn things around on his own. Everyone accepts his exceptional talent. The issue is "how to manage his temperament, both mental and physical". This issue of Umar is not new. There are examples of good sportsmen and women with attitude issues, who are supported and monitored by sports management and governing bodies to utilise his/her talent without being effected by attitude issues. Something PCB managers to think!!

Good riddance.

Just wait for CPEC to get over, Umar Akmal will be the new Bradman of cricket in Pakistan. You just wait.

@Shahid: Yes, I know cricket more than many. :) Anyhow, do you know that same batsman would have lower Ave coming at 6 or 7 than at 4 or 5? ... So, when UA bats before SA than why UA ave, even SR and century / inning is lower? Do you know that, UA century / ings in test, ODI, or 5os / ings in T20I is worse than SA. 'Not out': If you know cricket you would know that ending inning to resume next day (same match) or any other day (in next match) is same, hence 'not-out' is not counted as getting out (ing completed) just like ending inning to resume next day (same match), but seems you do not know that, right? :). Asad: is better test batsman than UA, but I do not think AS is good in limited overs. Anyhow, there are Pakistani batsmen better than both, still not selected. UA: I never said that UA is bad limited over batman, but to say that he is the best or most talented, than that is blatant lie. There are many better Pakistani batsman than UA (and they have no attitude or tantrums).

HE HAS HAD ENOUGH CHANCES!!

PCB is making a mess with everything. Sometime it seems to me that it is good for nothing.

Good decision by the PCB.

Good riddance - cheers

@SarAH during the last England tour you were crying for Umer Akmal...what happened in between?

@tomUHTO TAWMAYTO Exactly right, Sarah gets emotional based on one domestic performance of Umar Akmal but fails to see that in international, he is a mediocre player who has never won a match for his country ever. He is just a walking wicket that will score 10-20 runs and struggles to hit the ball out of the ground. It was exposed during the T20 world cup against against New Zealand when chasing 180+ target. The problem is all pakistani fans who still support Akmal and PCB forget the past performances in the last 5 years which shows how awful his batting averages are like Afridi. With negative attitude is the reason why is unfit and careless about his diet.

He no play - me no play. the infamous sentence spoken by Akmal brothers, in support of each other, in Australia.

Who knows, it may not be fitness related. If it is fitness, then those who took him to Birmingham have to answer a few questions.

Sohail Khan was first casualty. Umer is the second. We have seen Umer playing PSL and PAK Cup. He had made few headline in last year due his Batting in different T20 leagues around the World and some off the field activities,but never due bad Fielding ,not heard of any incomplete match or innings or leaving the field.

@Shazad Completely agree with you. Fawad is a captain material and a genius stroke maker who can play all formats of the game. Shameful that selection policy ignores good players like him and Sami Aslam and mediocre players like Hafeez, haris sohail and umar amin always get called up.

@Danny he probably failed both....

@Syed: You are right, it is Shameful that Fawad is ignored for so long even though he is piling up runs more than any other batsman, is useful bowler, one of the best Pakistani fielder and has great fitness. Shows, why PCB and Pakistani team of selectors stink. Fact is that there is no selection policy in PCB other than corruption, nepotism, parchi culture, like/dislike, favouritism, incompetency and obliging others (at the expense of country). It is true about almost every Pakistani institutions and departments under the control of government. Look at PIA, police or governance of country, seems there are leeches everywhere, harming country for pleasure or few dollars in pocket. If it was up to me, I would have introduced policy of automatic selection, that is, all players having highest Ave and field performance over last 3 years in domestic cricket getting selected automatically and no player supersede selection over player with performance better than him, whoever he maybe.