Pakistan batsman Umar Akmal did not have an ideal comeback to the T20I side as he failed to open his account with the bat in the first and second T20I against Sri Lanka. Sri Lanka made it two wins in a row in the ongoing three-match series with a comfortable 35-run win over the hosts at the Gaddafi Stadium in Lahore on Monday and thus attaining an unassailable 2-0 lead in the series. The loss also saw Akmal attain an embarrassing feat.
Umar Akmal Equals unwanted Record of Most Ducks in T20Is
Now, Akmal has created an unwanted record of having joint-most ducks in T20Is by any player with former Sri Lanka batsman Tillakaratne Dilshan. Both batsmen have ten ducks in T20Is – most by any player in the world. Akmal, who was dismissed on a duck in the first T20I on Saturday, continued his poor run with the willow on Monday once again failing to get off the mark in the second T20I on Monday. He was dismissed by Wanindu Hasaranga on the very first ball he faced in the game.
With consecutive ducks, it’s unlikely that coach Misbah-ul-Haq will be keen on giving him one final chance to prove his worth in the final third T20I. Akmal, who was sidelined from the national side due to poor form, had made a return into the T20I team after impressing in the domestic circuit. However, the right-hander failed to live up to the expectations in the ongoing series against Sri Lanka and was sent back cheaply in both the games.
Akmal had overtaken Shahid Afridi’s record of most ducks in T20Is for Pakistan in the first match. Umar Akmal, who had earlier played his last game against West Indies at Abu Dhabi on September 27, 2016, has made an unpleasant comeback as he was dismissed off the very first ball in both T20Is. However, Akmal (6) has set another dubious record of most first-ball ducks in T20Is.
