Mickey Arthur: “You have got Imad Wasim who is slightly different”
Image taken by: Bimal Mirwani
Mickey Arthur, the Pakistan team director, has hinted that spinner Imad Wasim could be in contention for selection for the 2023 ICC Cricket World Cup in India as he gives the team something “slightly different.”
Imad has not played ODI cricket for close to three years as his last 50-over match for the men in green came in November 2020.
However, he recently made his T20I comeback in the five-match series against New Zealand in April 2023, where he was in impressive form as he claimed eight wickets at an average of 10.37 and an economy rate of 5.92.
The 34-year-old was not selected for Pakistan’s two-Test series against Sri Lanka or their three-match ODI series against Afghanistan.
He also wasn’t part of the squad for the Asia Cup, where the men in green beat Nepal by 238 runs, shared one point with India after their match was rained off, and defeated Bangladesh by seven wickets.
However, Pakistan suffered a 228-run drubbing at the hands of India and a two-wicket loss to Sri Lanka via the Duckworth–Lewis–Stern method (DLS) method, which knocked them out of the tournament.
Even though he hasn’t played ODI cricket since 2020, Arthur knows how useful Imad can be as he is also a very useful batsman who can score quick runs.
“You have got Imad Wasim who is slightly different,” he was quoted as saying by Cricket Pakistan.
Currently, Imad is playing for the Jamaica Tallawahs in the Caribbean Premier League (CPL) and has scored 214 runs in seven matches, which includes two fifties, at an average of 42.80 and a strike-rate of 136.30.
He has also snapped up eight wickets at an average of 22.75 and an economy rate of 7.42.
Pakistan Squad for 2023 Asia Cup: Babar Azam (capt), Shadab Khan, Mohammad Rizwan (wk), Saud Shakeel, Fakhar Zaman, Abdullah Shafique, Imam-ul-Haq, Saud Shakeel, Salman Ali Agha, Iftikhar Ahmed, Mohammad Nawaz, Usama Mir, Haris Rauf, Naseem Shah, Shaheen Shah Afridi, Mohammad Haris (wk), Faheem Ashraf, Mohammad Wasim Jnr, Shahnawaz Dahani, Zaman Khan.
Travelling reserve: Tayyab Tahir