Umar Akmal burst onto the international scene oozing class, and drawing the highest praise from experts. In his first Test innings, against New Zealand in Dunedin against an attack which included Shane Bond and Daniel Vettori, the 19-year-old Umar scored 129 in an innings when no other specialist batsman touched 30. His fearlessness at the crease and his wide array of strokes had pundits gushing for superlatives, as throughout that series and on the tour to Australia which followed, Umar consistently got starts. Given that he had also scored a century in his third ODI, and that Pakistan were on the lookout for middle-order talent, it appeared Umar would be a certainty in the team in all formats for several years to come.