Imam Ul Haq, the out-of-favor Pakistani opener, has leveled serious allegations against the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) selectors. He has accused them of not treating every player on the same criteria and stated that he hasn’t seen Pakistan playing poorer cricket in 7 years.
The Pakistan cricket team has been struggling for the better part of a year. Their collapse began with the Asia Cup 2023 when they failed to qualify for the final. Pakistan failed to reach the semi-finals of the next ODI World Cup, losing to Afghanistan.
The situation deteriorated when the Men in Green were humiliated by the United States in the T20 World Cup 2024, failing to advance to the Super Eight stage. The team’s failures in major events prompted the country’s former cricketers to harshly criticize its performance.
I did talk to Babar Azam.. but: Imam Ul Haq on his exclusion from 2024 T20 World Cup
Imam-Ul-Haq broke his silence over Pakistan’s performance at the T20 World Cup 2024. He conceded that things were not going well during the tournament, and the loss to the USA exacerbated the problem.
“I wasn’t in the T20 World Cup (2024) but I’ve heard a few stories that I feel are worse than the ODI World Cup. I think only those players can tell who has felt all of this. I did talk to Babar (Azam) but I think there’s a difference between talking on the phone and being present on the spot. So, I think losing that match (to the USA) and then India, you come to a winning situation where you need run-a-ball and then losing from that point,” Imam Ul Haq told CricWick.
Imam-Ul-Haq went on to say that a win is vital for players’ confidence and has the potential to improve the situation of Pakistan cricket.
“Win is very important for the return of confidence. Although things are changing, captaincy has changed and I think this happens in every country. You cannot control this. Only a win can save us from all these issues. Whatever win it might be which brings the confidence of this team back, whether it is a Test, T20I, or ODI. A win is very important for Pakistan cricket at the moment,” Imam Ul Haq noted.
Imam-Ul-Haq accuses Pakistan’s selectors of bias
While speaking about giving players opportunities, Imam Ul Haq chastised the selectors for creating a system in which individuals are liked and disliked. He asserted that some players are given more opportunities than others while being of comparable ability.
“We gave our players consistent chances but we didn’t get the results in the ODI World Cup. The rest of the sides rely on giving consistent chances. If you are giving a player 15 matches and if a player of a similar caliber is getting three matches, then you’re creating problems for yourself. It (selection criteria) varies from player to player, liking-disliking.
The confidence of every player is shaken from top to bottom because I don’t think I have seen Pakistan play this bad in my 7-year career. And it is our fault as well, whether it’s one-day World Cup, Test cricket, the boys are not giving those performances, whether it is fitness,” Imam Ul Haq concluded.
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