Umar Akmal returns to Pakistan T20 squad

The PCB said on Friday that Akmal was cleared by its security and vigilance department after he was served a show cause notice for bringing cricket into disrepute. (Source: Reuters)

Pakistan summoned Umar Akmal in the Twenty20 squad for the series against England and ruled all-rounder Imad Wasim out of the three-match series due to a broken little finger on his left hand.

Akmal was initially out of the squad after the Pakistan Cricket Board took notice of media reports that Akmal was allegedly involved in immoral activities during a party in a house in Hyderabad, where he was accompanied by former Pakistan Under-19 captain Azeem Ghumman.

The PCB said on Friday that Akmal was cleared by its security and vigilance department after he was served a show cause notice for bringing cricket into disrepute.

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“Now that he has been cleared after an inquiry into the Hyderabad incident, he has been included in the squad,” chief selector Haroon Rasheed said.

The selectors have withdrawn Iftikhar Ahmed from the T20 squad to include Akmal, who will fly out to the United Arab Emirates, where the series starts next Thursday.

Wasim was injured in a domestic cricket match last month, and needed another two weeks to recover, PCB doctor Sohail Saleem said. Another allrounder, Bilal Asif, will replace Wasim in the squad.