Pakistan opener Imam-ul-Haq: “If you are giving a player 15 matches while another player of similar calibre gets only three matches, then you’re creating problems for yourself. Selection criteria vary from player to player, based on liking or disliking”
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Pakistan opening batsman Imam-ul-Haq has criticised how the selection criteria varies between players and believes a lot of it comes down to “liking or disliking”.
He noted that there have been noticeable inconsistencies when it comes to the number of chances given to different cricketers.
The 29-year-old pointed out that by not giving certain players a proper opportunity to showcase their talent at the international level, Pakistan are hurting their chances of finding future talents.
“If you are giving a player 15 matches while another player of similar calibre gets only three matches, then you’re creating problems for yourself. Selection criteria vary from player to player, based on liking or disliking,” he was quoted as saying by Cricket Pakistan.
Imam was not picked for Pakistan’s recent limited overs series against Australia and Zimbabwe.
Instead, he played in the Champions T20 Cup, where he accumulated 256 runs in nine matches for the Lions, which included two fifties, at an average of 32 and a strike-rate of 136.17.
Pakistan are currently touring South Africa and lost the T20I series 2-0 before bouncing back to triumph 3-0 in the ODIs.
The men in green and Proteas are now facing each other in a two-Test series, which got underway on December 26 in Centurion.
Pakistan Squad for South Africa T20I Series: Mohammad Rizwan (captain and wicketkeeper), Abrar Ahmed, Babar Azam, Haris Rauf, Jahandad Khan, Abbas Afridi, Mohammad Hasnain, Muhammad Irfan Khan, Omair Bin Yousuf, Saim Ayub, Salman Ali Agha, Shaheen Shah Afridi, Sufiyan Muqeem, Tayyab Tahir and Usman Khan (wicketkeeper)
Pakistan Squad for South Africa ODI Series: Mohammad Rizwan (captain and wicketkeeper), Abdullah Shafique, Abrar Ahmed, Babar Azam, Haris Rauf, Kamran Ghulam, Mohammad Hasnain, Muhammad Irfan Khan, Naseem Shah, Saim Ayub, Salman Ali Agha, Shaheen Shah Afridi, Sufiyan Muqeem, Tayyab Tahir and Usman Khan (wicketkeeper)
Pakistan Squad for South Africa Test Series: Shan Masood (captain), Saud Shakeel (vice-captain), Aamer Jamal, Abdullah Shafique, Babar Azam, Haseebullah Khan (wicketkeeper), Kamran Ghulam, Khurram Shahzad, Mir Hamza, Mohammad Abbas, Mohammad Rizwan (wicketkeeper), Naseem Shah, Noman Ali, Saim Ayub and Salman Ali Agha
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