(Credit X)
Former Pakistan cricketer Kamran Akmal has sparked controversy once again with a bold statement claiming his brother Umar Akmal surpasses Virat Kohli in cricketing prowess.
Just days ago, Kamran Akmal issued an apology to Harbhajan Singh for remarks made during commentary on the IND-PAK match in New York. Now, in another contentious move, he criticized Virat Kohli while comparing him unfavorably to his younger brother. This latest comment, made on a local news channel, has drawn significant criticism, marking it as one of Akmal’s most controversial takes on the former Indian captain.
Kamran Akmal argued on ARY News that Pakistan lacks the same PR influence as Virat Kohli. He asserted that exclusive statistics show his younger brother Umar Akmal performs better than Kohli in T20 World Cups, citing Umar’s superior strike rate and run tally. Despite Kohli’s status as the highest run-scorer in T20 World Cup history, Kamran emphasized Umar’s 486 runs in 20 matches compared to Kohli’s 1146 runs in 30 matches. He acknowledged Kohli’s longevity but highlighted Umar’s strengths, attributing the disparity in recognition to Kohli’s superior media presence.
“I had the stats yesterday, I’m talking about Virat Kohli Umar’s (Akmal) T20 World Cup stats. And Umar is actually only equal to Virat’s pinky finger due to his performance and stardom. (He) has a better strike rate than Virat Kohli and has scored more runs as well but we don’t have a PR media and we don’t spread our stats on social media.” – Kamran Akmal said via ARY News.
Kamran Akmal suggested that Umar Akmal could have been a game-changer in the T20 World Cup 2024, implying his explosive potential if included in Pakistan’s squad under Babar Azam’s leadership for matches in the USA and West Indies.
“If that kind of a player could have joined these 15, then it would have been explosive but the say about Virat Kohli scoring 80 centuries and all that. This is how they play the game. If I show you the stats you will be shocked.” – Kamran Akmal concluded.
