Former Pakistan skipper Rashid Latif has expressed serious concern over the omission of Fawad Alam from Pakistan’s Test squad.
Pakistan will tour England and Ireland pretty soon. The Pakistan Cricket Board’s (PCB) selection committee which is headed by Inzamam-Ul-Haq snubbed experienced campaigner for the upcoming tour.
However, his nephew Imam-Ul-Haq has been selected ahead of Alam. With three openers already in the squad, the selection of Imam was indeed questionable.
Meanwhile, Inzamam-ul-Haq was quoted as saying that he has seen better cricketers than Fawad in the last 10 years.
Rashid while speaking to Dawan following the announcement of the squad expressed his resentment.
The southpaw Alam averages an impressive 55.35 in first-class cricket and has been a consistent performer in the domestic circuit since past many years.
Also Read: IPL 2018: Delhi Police Crack Down on Online Betting Racket, Three Arrested
Rashi poses serious questions to Inzamam:
“How come Fawad has not been selected when Pakistan is in dire need of experienced guys to beef up the batting,” Rashid asked.
“The simultaneous retirements of Younis [Khan] and Misbah [ul-Haq] after the West Indies tour last year left a gaping hole in the Pakistan batting and which was brutally exposed by an under-strengthened Sri Lankan bowling line-up on the slow pitches of the UAE,” Rashid added.
“My question to Inzamam is straightforward. Why was Fawad included in the pre-tour camp when he wasn’t in the [selectors’] radar for the three Test matches coming up in alien conditions? I’m perplexed by some of the selections made by Inzamam and company,” Rashid maintained.
“Just imagine Fawad last played a Test in 2009 when he was 23-year-old. I feel very sorry for him [Fawad] because before Inzamam took as chief selector, the previous heads [of the national selection committee] Mohsin Khan, Mohammad Ilyas and Haroon Rashid all ignored his rightful claims to play for Pakistan at the highest level,” the vocal Rashid added.
“It’s like handing a sentence to someone who has committed a heinous crime. Inzamam’s committee has done a financial murder to Fawad given how much Test players are paid these days. His track record speaks for itself with those 27 centuries and 10,742 first-class runs,” Rashid stated.
Rashid Latif has been rated as one of the finest keepers of his time:
Rashid was rated as one of the most effective wicket-keeper during his playing days. He further feared the selection of a relatively limited overs specialist Fakhar Zaman.
He was of the opinion that Fakhar will struggle in English conditions.
“When Azhar Ali and Sami Aslam are two openers with Imam-ul-Haq as the third, what is the point of having Fakhar as the back-up [opener] when only three are sufficient,” he questioned.
“The inclusion of the fourth opener is a bad formation from the selection committee. And I just can’t understand that Inzamam has spoken about giving experience to the batsmen of playing in English as preparations for the World Cup next year,” he further said.
“It seems surreal what the chief selector has uttered. It’s like beating about the bush because there is no sense in picking players just to give them experience,” Rashid concluded.
Also Read: IPL 2018: Kieron Pollard Hits at Reporters for Questioning His And Team’s Poor Run
