Before his debut in 2009, Umar Akmal was definitely one of the hottest prospects ─ if not the hottest one ─ in Pakistani cricket.
The swashbucklinbg right-handed batsman from Lahore, who was 19 then, absolutely thrashed bowlers in the domestic circuit and was also a part of the Pakistan Under-19 side in the World Cup 2008 campaign.
Kamran Akmal’s younger brother, with his innate skill, was seen as a successor to former skipper Inzamam-ul-Haq who ended his stellar career in 2007.
Akmal’s debut series was against Sri Lanka and the young lad couldn’t resist displaying his natural flamboyance on the pitch, scoring a blistering 102 in what was only his third ODI.
That innings was not just about Akmal's high score — his street smart and free-flowing hands roused excitement around the cricketing world, raising comparisons with the likes of Javed Miandad and Zaheer Abbas.
Akmal introduced himself in the Test arena in a similar manner, scoring 129 and 75 against New Zealand at Dunedin in November 2009.
Fans were thrilled to have someone with technical soundness and aggression in the team's batting line-up.