Imam-ul-Haq: “If I tell you honestly, I don’t think so, because we don’t have time to do experiments, and with Agha [Salman], Shadab [Khan] and [Mohammad] Nawaz, we have enough power-hitting in our ranks”
Image taken by: Bimal Mirwani
Imam-ul-Haq, the left-handed opening batsman, believes Pakistan don’t need power-hitters Iftikhar Ahmed and Mohammad Haris in the ODI squad right now.
He noted that Salman Ali Agha, Shadab Khan and Mohammad Nawaz have been given their jobs and the men in green should stick with the trio.
Explaining why he is against giving chances to Iftikhar and Haris, Imam pointed out that the national team cannot afford to be experimenting so close to the 2023 ICC Cricket World Cup.
“If I tell you honestly, I don’t think so, because we don’t have time to do experiments, and with Agha [Salman], Shadab [Khan] and [Mohammad] Nawaz, we have enough power-hitting in our ranks,” he was quoted as saying by Cricket Pakistan. “We just need to give them confidence. Sometimes it is very different to come at number five or six and play only six or seven overs.
“We could have given chances to Haris and Iftikhar if we had more matches. That is what I think. Babar [Azam] might think differently.”
Imam is currently playing in Pakistan’s two-Test series against Sri Lanka and scored 1 and 50 not out in the first Test in Galle, which the men in green won by four wickets.
The second Test is now being played in Colombo.
Pakistan Squad for Sri Lanka Test Series: Babar Azam (c), Mohammad Rizwan (vc & wk), Aamer Jamal, Abdullah Shafique, Abrar Ahmed, Hasan Ali, Imam-ul-Haq, Muhammad Huraira, Mohammad Nawaz, Naseem Shah, Noman Ali, Salman Ali Agha, Sarfaraz Ahmed (wk), Saud Shakeel, Shaheen Shah Afridi and Shan Masood