Umar Akmal burst onto the international cricket circuit oozing class, and drawing the highest praise from experts. But, for someone who was initially dubbed as the next big thing in the Pakistani team, Akmal has surely failed to live up to the billing.

A series of inconsistent performances saw him lose the national contract with the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB). And, earlier this year, his name alongside fast bowler Mohammad Sami also cropped up in the alleged spot-fixing case in the Pakistan Super League (PSL).

© Reuters

But, the troublesome times for Akmal don't seem to end there. Struggling to mark his return in international cricket, Akmal has been working hard and his contribution for Lahore Whites in the National T20 Cup is a testimony to that. However, it wasn't enough for the social media trolls who began circulating the rumour of his apparent death.

New post (Umar Akmal declared dead on social media, Pakistani cricketer assures fans ...) has been published on  - https://t.co/piib7uXS4f pic.twitter.com/3BaUgR5RuX

Morphed images of the Pakistani cricketer thronged social media where the trolls claimed that he died during the recent riots in Islamabad. Many fans fell prey to the fake news and expressed their shock over Akmal's alleged death.

Allhamdulillah I am safe n perfectly fine in Lahore all news coming from social media is fake
And Insha Allah I will join #National20cup2017  #Semifinale

And, after a lot of hue and cry, the Pakistani cricketer was compelled to break his silence and quash the rumours once and for all. Taking to Twitter, Akmal shared a short video to assure his fans that he was ok. The right-hander also claimed that he will be taking part in the National T20 Cup final against Lahore Blues on Thursday.

pic.twitter.com/rmhfTOjE4N

The 27-year-old has not played for Pakistan since the ODI against Australia in Adelaide in January this year. He is currently out of the national side following his outburst against coach Mickey Arthur. Akmal was later found guilty of breaching three clauses of the player's code of conduct by the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB).