5 Pakistani players under probe for alleged involvement in a brawl

KARACHI: Five players who have represented the country are apparently under investigation by Pakistan Cricket Board on suspicion of their involvement in a brawl and disorderly conduct in Faisalabad where they played National One-day Cup matches.

Umar Akmal, Muhammad Nawaz, Bilawal Bhatti, Ovais Zia and Shahid Yousuf landed in trouble after television channels reported they had gone to watch a dance show/drama at a local theatre on Sunday night and got involved in the brawl.

Television channels showed brief footage of Umar Akmal arguing with some people at the theatre and then angrily gesturing at them before being led to his car by a fellow player.

Sources said that the brawl broke out when some of the players demanded that a dance song routine be repeated from the female artists on stage.

Umar came out with a denial of being involved in any brawl or disorderly behaviour at the theatre and advised the media to stop prying into his personal life.

"Talk or write about me or my cricket skills or performances but no one has the right to highlight my personal and social life, it is not fair," he told reporters in Faisalabad.

The Pakistani batsman also denied media reports that the Board was investigating the incident through its security and vigilance department.

The youngest of the Akmal brothers is no stranger to self-inflicted controversies.

Just few months back during the premier first class tournament, he landed up in trouble when he went to Hyderabad to play for his departmental side.

He went to a private dance party with some friends and his outing ended with a police raid and subsequent visit to the police station.

But a PCB inquiry cleared him on the basis of police report which claimed it did not recognise Umar at the place of the dance party when it raided the place.

After that incident, Umar got into a argument with the coach of his departmental side, Basit Ali during the final in Karachi.


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