KARACHI: In a startling revelation, former PCB Chairman Najam Sethi has claimed that banned Test batsman Umar Akmal suffers from epilepsy for which he had refused to take treatment.
Umar was recently slapped with a three-year ban for not reporting corrupt approaches before the start of the Pakistan Super League (PSL). Sethi, who was PCB chairman and Head of Executive Committee between 2013 and 2018, said when he took over the reins of the cricket body, the first problem he faced concerned Umar. “We had medical reports that confirmed he suffered from epilepsy fits and we called him back from the West Indies. When I met him I told him it was a serious problem and he needed to take a break and get proper treatment. But he was not willing to accept this. He was mentally not there,” Sethi told a TV channel.
“Anyway I stopped him from playing for two months but later on we sent the medical reports to the selectors and left it to them because I didn’t like to interfere in their work.” (PTI)
