Pakistan veteran wicket-keeper batter Kamran Akmal on Tuesday announced his retirement from all forms of cricket. Akmal is named in the national selection committee and looks to focus on his new role. He played for Pakistan till 2017 and was also dropped by Pakistan Super League franchise Peshawar Zalmi for the 8th season of the tournament.
Speaking to the media, Akmal informed them about his decision. "Obviously, I will not be playing cricket anymore due to new roles in PCB. I don’t think after you come into coaching or become a national selector you can focus on playing,” Akmal said to the media.
Kamran Akmal and Umar Akmal
However, Akmal also stated that he will feature in small leagues but that depends on his responsibilities. “I will be playing in small leagues but that too depends on my responsibilities in a new role given to me by PCB,” he added.
Earlier, Kamran's brother Umran Akmal said he is hopeful for a good run for Kamran. “Kamran has always been very kind to not only me but all the cricketers. Everybody learns from him. I am sure he will give fair chances to players. I wish him the best of luck,” he said to Geosuper.tv.
Meanwhile, Kamran praised Pakistan's current captain Babar Azam. “He is one our great batters and my job as selector and as coach in Zalmi is to help him fine-tune himself as a captain and as a batsman. But he has no flaws in his batting this we have seen over the years,” Kamran said. Notably, The PCB unveiled its new senior and junior men's selection committees earlier this week, with Haroon Rasheed leading the senior committee and Kamran Akmal heading the junior committee.
The senior committee consists of former Test players Kamran Akmal, Yasir Hameed, and Muhammad Sami, while the junior committee includes Tauseef Ahmed, Arshad Khan, Shahid Nazir, and Shoaib Khan. This marks the first time Kamran, Yasir, and Sami have been appointed as national selectors.
