Lahore Qalandars and Umer Akmal are in a toxic relationship

There is a tiny part that still cares. I admit that it is a lost cause or most likely to be a lost cause. See, I can give up on that hope. How can you? Despite Pakistan’s recent relative revival in white ball cricket, the team is yet to embrace the 2018 style of cricket. One man who could do it is Umer Akmal. As inconsistent as he was, the ability and capacity was there to see and relish. But the ups have been so infrequent, most of his fans have lost hope. There seems to no learning, no remorse of good part of a decade being wasted.
Umer Akmal had a stellar season 1. Ever since it’s been downhill. Brendan McCullum’s captaincy has in a way given Akmal liberty. Liberty which he perhaps does not deserve as show by his horror show in the last season and so far these 3 matches. The idea of empowering a player isn’t the right, if self-destruction is the only exercise the player is interested in.

Nawaz stalls progress for Lahore Qalandars

Let’s look at Akmal’s innings yesterday. He walked in with the Lahore ahead in the game as the captain was going hard. The required run rate was hovering under 7. Akmal swatted a leg spinning delivery to mid-wicket area. There is spin for Afridi’s leg spinner, but risk worth taking I suppose in T20 cricket even for a single run. Came running down the track to Imad Wasim and ending up cutting the short ball outside off stump for a four. Calculated risk, considering that Imad does spin the ball.

Next ball, driven of the front foot to mid-off for one. Last ball of the over again, jumps out of the crease only to play it back to the bowler. Afridi, with more experience than Umer Akmal’s age was seeing this. The 1st ball Akmal faced, Afridi looped it up outside off. The trap was set. Not a very clever one at that. A simple plan for a simpleton. Akmal obliged and out came the Afridi pose. Umer Akmal, angry at the world the conspires against him all the time  walks back.

Very recurring feeling of disappoint at another unforced error. Will we ever see any resurgence or am I a simpleton for having any such hopes?