Rashid Latif: “It was Fawad’s right to play, if not in the first Test, then he should have been [picked] in the second Test in Karachi as he could have resolved [the] middle order issues”

Image courtesy of: Pakistan Cricket Board

Former Pakistan captain Rashid Latif believes that veteran batsman Fawad Alam needs to be in the Test team.

Fawad was recently called up for the two-Test series against Sri Lanka, which marked the return of Test cricket to Pakistan after 10 years.

However, instead of playing his first Test since 2009, Fawad was not included in the playing XI for both Tests.

This puzzled a lot of people, including current and former players, especially since Fawad was in red-hot form in the Quaid-e-Azam Trophy when he was drafted into the team.

Latif questioned whether head coach and chief selector Misbah-ul-Haq actually cares about players’ performance in first-class cricket since Fawad was overlooked for both Tests.

In the Quaid-e-Azam Trophy, the 34-year-old represented Sindh in 10 matches and accumulated 781 runs, which included four centuries and two fifties, at an average of 71.

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“Fawad’s non-selection leaves a huge question mark on Misbah as if first-class performers can’t get chance to represent the country after such great performances, then what is the purpose of playing first-class [cricket]?” Latif told The Nation.

“It was Fawad’s right to play, if not in the first Test, then he should have been [picked] in the second Test in Karachi as he could have resolved [the] middle order issues.

“Pakistan was playing cricket in the UAE for [the] last decade, now they have to adjust to home conditions and it is only possible if international teams continue to come and play in Pakistan.”

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