Inzamam-ul-Haq on Abdullah Shafique: “On the basis of just one first-class match, we are making efforts to give [a] Test cap to a player”
Image courtesy of: ESPNcricinfo
Former Pakistan captain Inzamam-ul-Haq has criticised the selection of batsman Abdullah Shafique for the upcoming series against South Africa.
Shafique has only played in one first-class match, but made a century on debut as he scored 133 in Central Punjab’s Quaid-e-Azam Trophy match against Southern Punjab.
Inzamam questioned how a player can be picked on the basis of his performance in one match and further asked if Test caps are being handed out for free.
“Sadly, this has become our selection criteria. On the basis of just one first-class match, we are making efforts to give [a] Test cap to a player,” the former chief selector said on his YouTube channel as quoted by Geo Super.
Pakistan’s series against South Africa, which will consist of two Tests and three T20 Internationals, will start on January 26 and conclude on February 14.
Pakistan’s squad for the South Africa series: Abid Ali, Abdullah Shafique, Imran Butt, Azhar Ali, Babar Azam (captain), Fawad Alam, Kamran Ghulam, Agha Salman, Saud Shakeel, Faheem Ashraf, Mohammad Nawaz, Mohammad Rizwan (vice-captain), Sarfaraz Ahmed, Nauman Ali, Sajid Khan, Yasir Shah, Haris Rauf, Hasan Ali, Shaheen Shah Afridi, Tabish Khan