Umar Akmal was nowhere near international standards: Mickey Arthur

Former Pakistan head coach Mickey Arthur has said that beleaguered batsman Umar Akmal was "nowhere near" the standard of an international cricketer, Daily Jang reported.

According to the Urdu daily, Arthur recalled Akmal's erratic behaviour and said the he would place the blame of his shortcomings on others rather than looking to overcome them himself.

"Akmal was far from the culture that I wanted to introduce in the Pakistan cricket team. A guy like him didn’t need any enemies," he said. 

Furthermore, Arthur compared Akmal to limited-overs skipper Babar Azam and said that the latter was an exemplary cricketer that showcased talent and will which gained him international recognition. 

READ: Umar Akmal banned for 3 years over failure to report corruption approaches

"Azam is a far better and talented batsman. He [Akmal} was nowhere near international standards. He [Azam] would train for seven hours and now he’s proven himself to be the best of the best," he said.

This was not the first instance where Arthur shared his disdain for Akmal.

Earlier the Sri Lanka head coach narrated an incident where he and the now-banned batsman were involved in a heated exchange where the former used "strong words" to straighten up Akmal. 

READ: Culture of respecting seniors in Pakistan detrimental to team’s growth says Mickey Arthur

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