Umar Akmal makes surprise departure to the US

Pakistan’s middle-order batsman Umar Akmal’s sudden departure to the United States has surprised many in the cricket fraternity.

Umar, who recently started playing domestic cricket after getting permission from Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB), departed for the US on Friday morning.

He shared the news on his Twitter handle, requesting his fans for prayers.

Umar Akmal set to resume playing club cricket

“I am travelling to the US [United States] for some personal meetings, if all goes well I might have to stay there for some time! I need my supporters to pray for me as they have always prayed!” tweeted Akmal.

Reports suggest that the 31-year-old would play club cricket during his stay in the US and would look for a long-term contract to prolong his stay.

Umar, who last played an international match in November 2019, has been out of cricket after being banned for his alleged connections with bookies.

Umar Akmal's 18-month ban reduced to one year

The swashbuckling batsman had recently made his return to club cricket after serving his ban, and undergoing the cricket board’s rehabilitation process. He was part of Central Punjab in the Cricket Association’s Second XI tournament, where he managed 66 runs in five innings with the highest score of 29.

The right-handed batsman has represented Pakistan in 16 Tests, 121 One-day Internationals (ODI) and 84 Twenty20 International (T20I) matches, scoring 5,887 runs across the formats.