Inzamam rules nepotism out, clarifies Fawad's omission
Pakistan Cricket Board [PCB] named a 16-men squad on Sunday ahead of Pakistan’s tour of Ireland and England. Five uncapped players were named in the squad including Imam-ul-Haq who scored a century on his ODI debut.
Fakhar Zaman, Saad Ali, Shadab Khan, and Usman Salahuddin are the other four players awaiting a Test cap. Zaman has played in 28 limited-overs matches for his country and smashed a brilliant century against India in the Champions Trophy last year. Saad is the leading run-getter in the Quaid-Azam Trophy, Pakistan's domestic first-class competition.
Yasir Shah was left out of the squad due to an injury. Fawad Alam, despite a brilliant run in the domestic circuit, also failed to make it to the squad.
“Fawad Alam is an outstanding player but in the last three years there are others at the top of the list,” Inzamam told ESPNcricinfo. “We got him here in the nets but we found Saad Ali to be better, and the decision to prefer Saad was unanimous, with input from all the coaching staff and captain. Fawad is a good player and we obviously can't ignore his career average; that is why he was brought into the camp. During my tenure, I have given 12 to 14 players an opportunity and none of them have disappointed us. If you look back in the past three seasons, there are players who have scored more runs than Fawad Alam.
“Dropping any player doesn't mean we are disregarding them. It's easy to pick players following scorecards or statistics, but there are many more things we take into consideration. I am not sure why Fawad wasn't picked in the past before me but if you ask me about my tenure as chief selector, I have seen better players.”
Inzmam was reluctant to label it as discarding Fawad. He rather saw it as giving opportunities to players who are expected to be more suited to English conditions.
“I am not taking away anything from Fawad, as he has scored a lot of runs in domestic cricket at a great average. When there is a competition, some players get left out, but that doesn't mean their career ends there,” Inzamam said. “We haven't ignored him, we have actually given an opportunity to a few others we thought were more suited to English conditions. Last season, we had tough bowling conditions in the QeA, and Saad Ali was a stand-out performer, and that is why he was preferred. I have spoken to Fawad on many occasions and given him the confidence to keep on working hard.
“I know people are very critical about his non-selection but we need to see things in perspective. People have expectations and they want to see their team win every game which brings a lot of responsibility on us. I have nothing against any player. We have a responsibility and what is important is we do not fail it. We must select players on merit. I am lucky that most of my picks so far are paying off well, and we now have a bigger pool of players.”
Inzamam-ul-Haq also dismissed the claims of nepotism in cricket by indicating Imam’s presence in the system before his being appointed as a selector. According to the former Pakistan captain, he is just a part of the discussion group and the decision of selecting Imam was taken by Mickey Arthur and Grant Flower.
“Picking Imam is a tough decision but this is one decision I didn't take," Inzamam said. "People might be cynical about this but the head coach [Mickey Arthur], batting coach [Grant Flower] and other selectors made the decision to select Imam. I am the part of the discussion group, but I didn't say anything about it. The report given by trainers and coaches about him showed a significant improvement in his skill and fitness levels. He was already in the system even before my becoming selector, so associating me shouldn't be a point of discussion.”
