The third Akmal brother to make it to the Pakistani national squad, Adnan has shown that he can keep just as well or maybe better than his brother Kamran, but his batting skills are not as comprehensive as possessed by his siblings.

Adnan first represented his country as a young talent in the Under-17 Pakistan squad. He went on to play for several other clubs in the domestic circuit including the Lahore Lions, Sui Northern Gas Pipelines Limited and the Zarai Taraqiati Bank Limited. As enthusiastic as his brother Kamran behind the stumps, Adnan got his first chance at the international level against South Africa in 2010. His opportunity came when the existing keeper for the tour, Zulqarnain Haider, went suspiciously missing. He then went on to feature as the team's first-choice keeper for Pakistan's tour of Zimbabwe in 2011. He was a fixed member of the Test side until he suffered a hairline fracture against Sri Lanka in Pallekelle in July 2012. He soon went out of favour of the selectors despite being fit and decent contributions with bat and gloves.

Adnan Akmal was drafted back into the Test squad before Pakistan's tour of Zimbabwe in 2013. With Kamran Akmal not in contention during the year, Adnan found his place as a keeper safe right through but failed to make heads turn with the bat, possessing a rather unsatisfying average of under 30. Younger brother, Umar who also keeps, has kept Adnan out of the limited-overs side although the latter has been known to be the best keeper in Pakistan at present.