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The headline of this piece should be the last time Inzamam-ul-Haq is referenced as Imam-ul-Haq's uncle — or Imam as Inzamam's nephew.
The younger Haq, from what we've seen in his young career, is a player in his own right. And the older Haq, judging from the chock-full talent pool of Pakistan cricket right now, is doing something right as the chief selector.
It may pain us to admit, but the kinship these two have is totally trivial. A chacha-bhateja duo they may be, but for our purposes, one is a good selector and the other a promising talent.
After Imam, on debut and under difficult conditions, led Pakistan to a hard-fought win over Ireland, his credentials should not be questioned. He's earned his keep — at least for the time being. Product of a parchi you say? Torn up pieces of that parchi can be found all over The Village pitch in Ireland.
As for keeping the ostensibly deserving Fawad Alam out of the side, well that southpaw is a middle-order batter — a finisher — while Imam is an opener. How is one a replacement of the other?
Read: Fawad Alam's exclusion from Test squad leaves Twitterati baffled
Of course, this all is coming back to the critics — including yours truly — only now. Now that we've been proven wrong and now that Imam did not fall flat on his face on his debut like many of us had envisaged.
Imam, a 22-year-old, turned out to be Pakistan's saviour in Malahide. The narrative crumbled. The script flipped.
Turns out, Imam may after all have talent. More notably, it turns out that his uncle, a man of cricket — correction: a legend of cricket — may have an eye for talent. And he may not have been lying when he had passionately defended his record and said he had nothing against anyone.
The thing is that in modern sports a lot of faith is put in numbers. In the last two decades, concepts such as sports analytics and moneyball and whatnot have taken over. They've led us to believe that numbers don't lie — and while they may not, they don't necessarily tell the whole story either.
So Fawad may have averaged 40 in the Quaid-e-Azam Trophy this season but that was down from his last year's average of 56. A 16-run single-season plunge for a 32-year-old, even if he is still fit, is an alarming sign.
Read: The curious case of Fawad
But even if his numbers were the same, why have we taken away from a head hunter the right to sniff and induct talent purely on his instinct and nous? Don't we want to leave even a little bit of humanness left in this game?
If we turn this into a number game, no incumbent will ever be thrown out of any side on the basis of their career's worth of stats and no newcomer will have a look in.
The bottom line is that the Inzamam and Imam critics dropped a massive clanger. We jumped our guns. We lashed out at the two when there was no need to. We did so because they have matching surnames and because nepotism is a recurring theme in Pakistan.
It looks like, in this case, we were wrong. Let's take it on the chin. Let's apologise to Inzamam, the chief selector, and Imam, the cricketer.
The views expressed by this writer do not necessarily reflect the views and policies of the Dawn Media Group.
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May 21, 2018 04:04pm
We should judge players on their performance and consistency - let's wait and see, how Imam-ul-Haq performs in the future without making any predictions or prematurely making him a super star!
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May 21, 2018 04:08pm
It's too early to say that Imam-ul-Haq, after miserably failing in the first inning, has justified his selection based on second inning score of 70 odd runs, against a team which was playing it's maiden test match on it's home soil. He still has a long way to go.
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May 21, 2018 04:12pm
I fully agree with the writer.
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May 21, 2018 04:12pm
Now that's the reason I love to read here, so brilliantly said what we thought was wrong
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May 21, 2018 04:14pm
It was one game. One game. Lets not get too cheeky just now,.
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May 21, 2018 04:15pm
This writer is funny. Talent is performing on superior level day in and day out, so you cannot judge talent from just 1 series, I hope that he is right but we will have to wait and see.
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May 21, 2018 04:15pm
Too early and too much as usual.
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May 21, 2018 04:17pm
Very True.
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May 21, 2018 04:17pm
Too early to reach conclusions. Let him play complete season and then we can judge.
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May 21, 2018 04:18pm
What the writer fails to realise is that Imam would not have been selected in the first place if someone else was Chief Selector instead of his uncle. Imam may have talent but so do many other players in Pakistan but they never get an opportunity as there is no one in authority to back them.
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May 21, 2018 04:22pm
One swallow does not make the summer---English idiom.
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May 21, 2018 04:24pm
Well said Mr. writer.
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May 21, 2018 04:29pm
So the yesmanship has begun?????
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May 21, 2018 04:32pm
Do not agree a bit with Mr. Zohaib, Imam is still bhayeeja and thete are many players out there just waiting for an opportunity to perform. And more so as writer mentioned Imam is an opener while Fawad is middle order batsman, there is no comparison. Also with Imam in 2nd innings of the trst does not exempt from injustice Inzamam has done Fawad Alam. We need Fawad in the middle order or at top because deserves to be in the team. Perid. But chachs obviously got different priorities not merit would never be the selection criteria in Pakista.. shameful
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May 21, 2018 04:37pm
@Vaseem Siddiqi For us Imam is not a new player... We know Imam before Inzi became the chief selector. I agree that there are many talented players but you have to pick from the pool.
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May 21, 2018 04:41pm
@Dr. Salaria
Do not agree to your comment ... it was not a simple 70 odd innings ... it was scored in English conditions, 4th innings of test match .. PAK having terrible history of chasing ... 4 down for 20 odd runs ... everything was against PAK ... senior pros failed but the young guns fired ... this requires tremendous guts and confidence to do so !! All credit to IMAM for that ... give credit where it is due !!
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May 21, 2018 04:42pm
People which are saying its quite early to judge Imam then why were you judging Inzi so early? Why you guys were bashing Inzi on Imam selection?
As individual, we are not 100% honest with our duties/jobs but yet we bash on other people before any results.
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May 21, 2018 04:45pm
Nothing can be said based on one single match, whether he is good or not. It would be much better to give him some time and than talk about the performances
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May 21, 2018 04:48pm
He scored a century on one day debut and played a match winning innings in his debut test match.
So far he has silenced the critics
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May 21, 2018 04:48pm
He is an example of nepotism. Period. He scored 70 runs, not a big deal. The point is that out of hunderds of talented Pakistanis how come this "parchi" of " Inzi got a chance to play so quickly in Pakistan test side.
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May 21, 2018 04:49pm
Your Opinion is too soon, let him prove himself facing English players. The problem is we all get too excited and jump on conclusion. This chap has a long way to go!
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May 21, 2018 04:53pm
A good writeup...rarely seen someone owning up to ones mistakes
Imam ul Haq has performed similar to his Inzimam who denied Bangladesh their first victory at Multan in 2003
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May 21, 2018 04:56pm
Well written and really appreciate the honesty of the writer. This should be standard in journalism, if you are proven wrong, admit it and let your readers know about it. The stature of author is boosted by this article!
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May 21, 2018 05:05pm
@Dr. Salaria, Aamir Ahmad The performance has to be compared relative to his teammates. Hence, he deserves his place in the side. Where other seasoned players failed, Imam played well. Also, lets not forget that he played a key role in the warm up matches as well.
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May 21, 2018 05:07pm
He will be a good player
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May 21, 2018 05:11pm
We should request the honorable chief justice to form a JIT to investigate the relationship of the writer with the Haq family ;)
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May 21, 2018 05:23pm
Dont be so quick to conclusion..that was ireland. This is England. Lets hope for the good.
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May 21, 2018 05:30pm
He may be talented, but his average in last domestic series was in lower 30's, had he not been Inzamam nephew, he wouldnt have selected on this average, the notion that his technique is good and he is a talented provided by inzi is inappropriate, if he is talented batsman, which he very well may be, has to first perform and prove in domestic season and may be consistently in fee series before picked in national team . As of now I see him using inzi as a tool and perhaps this journalist too quick conclusion in favor of imam basesd one one ir 2 innings seem inappropriate.
I did find imam stylish and confident tbough!! but shoukd come through process !
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May 21, 2018 05:30pm
thats such a horrible article with child like comparison. why compare Imam with Fawad? Imam might be great and awesome, select him but y not fawad. why take almost 4 openers to the tour and only 4 middle order batsmen when you need at least 6. we have two reserve openers but no reserve middle order batsman. heck, we dont even have a reserve keeper. who will keep in a match if sarfaraz gets injured? Imam! .. U cant justify dropping a middle order batsman if an opener just scored a few runs. the problem is in front of us, lack of stability in the middle order. we wish imam all the success but not at the cost of Fawad (i.e. consistent performance over last 3 years). lets just scrape the domestic system then and just pick players on gut feeling and hunches. it will save a lot of money and time.
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May 21, 2018 05:33pm
Well said Dawn! Great sportsman spirit on your part!!
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May 21, 2018 05:42pm
We criticized Inzimam not only for Imam's favored selection but also on the sole question of Why Fawad was not selected as a middle order batsman? That question and criticism surrounding it stands valid still today.
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May 21, 2018 05:42pm
We criticized Inzimam not only for Imam's favored selection but also on the sole question of Why Fawad was not selected as a middle order batsman? That question and criticism surrounding it stands valid still today.
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May 21, 2018 05:46pm
Man your analysis skills are really very weak!
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May 21, 2018 05:49pm
@Dr. Salaria, Aamir Ahmad Agreed but scoring 70 odd in the 4rth innings when we were three down for almost nothing and winning a match for your country on debut is amazing even if the opposition was Ireland. Dont forget other experienced batsmen like Azher and Asad Shafiq were back in Pavilion. Says something about the youngster. Well done Imam and best of luck
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May 21, 2018 05:53pm
That's brave to admit one's prejudiced view. Not that I'm a fan of Imam but let the chick take his time to prove his talent; meanwhile we can improve our lances on political whetstones.
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May 21, 2018 05:53pm
I agree with the writer.
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May 21, 2018 06:10pm
There were several first class players with better records who were overlooked when Imam was selected. At the end of the day selection was not based on merit alone and therein lies the problem. Imam may be a good player but his selection, most likely, came at the cost of a great player
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May 21, 2018 06:19pm
Imam Main turn out to be a great player but is still and does not justifies the means. For Uncle to be the selector and nephew a candidate is a clear conflict of interest. In this case and imaam should have recused himself pillow
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May 21, 2018 06:22pm
End does not justify the means. Inzimam should have recused himself because of conflict of interest in being and Uncle of the candidate.
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May 21, 2018 06:22pm
There is a sense of deprivation and prejudice for a certain group which blinds them to see beyond it . I have seen a storm on cricinfo and other media chants for Mohammad Sami's inclusion in test squad while he has the worst test bowling average for any fast bowler in history bar Shahdat Hussain (BD). We have to stand up as Pakistanis and make a case on merit rather than on our linguistic and ethnic bias . Sarfaraz came up with a very balanced statement and deflected the heat from Imam ul Haq. Imam played well in county matches and saved Pakistan the blushes of losing to Test cricket newbies
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May 21, 2018 06:39pm
Writer is missing one very important point, It is still Nepotism or case of ethics violation, if selection was coming up for his nephew, he should have excused himself from selection the way Great Majid khan did not so long time ago.
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May 21, 2018 06:49pm
May be too early to judge, but we know he can hold a bat....u like few others. So far he has done what is required. Bigger challenges will come, but we must look to senior players to contribute, let Imam settle!
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May 21, 2018 06:55pm
He has only played 1-2 ODI's and 1 test. I agree with other people here that your opinion is TOO soon. He has to face tougher team in coming weeks. We will then know his strengths.
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May 21, 2018 07:06pm
Imam-ul-Haq has done well on debut. Let's pray he continues with performance but it's too early to give him super star status.
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May 21, 2018 07:10pm
Apology for what? If yiu are saying there is no comparison because of one is opener and one middle order batsmen then why did Inzi did that comparison. Don't we need a strong middle order lineup, we are miserably failing as soon as our tip order fails. Sorry you need to correct your cricket knowledge. Inzi may be a legend but every legend doesn't become a coach or a selector.
Why Azhar Ali deserves a place because he takes parchi to keep him? Does he not have a say then or is it an exchange program. I can go on with the talent if you want. You are writing for a reputable newspaper so please back your article with a justifiable lens and not personal opinion.
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May 21, 2018 07:29pm
Wow , It really needs to have Guts to say a spade is a spade . Now that the blogger ( himself the doubter ) has suggested , He was utterly wrong , Let him again lead the line of offering humble apology to the Older Al Haq and to the younger Al Haq ... after all it is " the blooger's earned Haq " to say Sorry to " Al Haq Duo"
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May 21, 2018 07:35pm
@I he is stylish and confident (in your opinion )because he knows if he fails, uncle will save me. What has he actually played yet? Two or three games?
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May 21, 2018 07:38pm
If Inzi is such a good selector how come there is only 1 wicket keeper for the IRE & ENG series? What happens if Sarfraz is injured or even catches a cold? They had to borrow a keeper in a tour match to give Sarfraz some rest.
Imam has started well but against a team making their Test debut so he has to prove himself against better bowling line-ups and sincerely wish him the best as we need a good opener.
Fawad Alam's exclusion is mind baffling and Pakistan cricket will continue to suffer unfortunately.
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May 21, 2018 07:39pm
@Irfan ul Huq or at the very least given up his own post so not to show a conflict of interest. Wishful thinking. This so called selector has picked a team of t20 players for tests.
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May 21, 2018 07:44pm
The question is why Fawad was not selected? Not why Imam was selected. Please don't confuse the people.
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May 21, 2018 07:51pm
The question of consistency is right but the way he played speaks of his character and temperament as a batsman. Yes all those should apologize publicly now. Inzamam has made good calls as chief selector along with Micky Arthur. This combination will take Pak team to a new height.
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May 21, 2018 07:52pm
Brilliantly written article . Our social media fighters have their favorites and they just blast the others and try to hide the lagging information of their fav. Looks like the writer was one of them but has the strength to change his opinion which most of our fellow Pakistanis don’t have which is evident from messages like it’s just one game , it’s just against Ireland etc. The just “ one game” well we played only one game against Ireland and he won us that game . “ Just Ireland” well we were 14/3 chasing 160 with both “ senior batsmen “ Azher and Shafiq back and later on the 3rd senior batsman Sarfraz failed too so it was a heck of an innings under pressure and most importantly “ match winning “ which his uncle was known for too. Lastly it’s not easy to open in places like Ireland and he is doing that wheb our senior batsmen try to play down the order ( except Azher)
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May 21, 2018 07:55pm
The outrage was directed at Inzamam not because for the selection of Imam, but continued ignorance of players who have performed in the domestic circuit and ended up in the ignore list. It is not the first time that not a merit based selection was amiss. So I don't see any reason for open letter apology letter to be demanded from anyone. The job of him to select and act as a selector. If his selection is not par with merit based selection then he must be answerable and if his selection is doing it's job then that's what his job is to do. Nobody is talking about bowlers who failed to made a mark considering the fragility and experience of Ireland batting order and also recently the county game. Yes we demand an apology letter from Inzamam and not the other way around. Sorry writer don't run away with your emotions and stop acting short-term-memory-pakistani-cricket-fan.
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May 21, 2018 07:55pm
I honestly hope you are being sarcastic, one performance doesn't especially if its against a side as weak as Ireland. Its also ironic that this performance is a statistic, and statistic don't hold much weight hence the entire apology. Your statements are contradictory, me beating children at football does not make me Messi. Me beating the market once does not make me Buffet.
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May 21, 2018 08:05pm
Imam performed against Ireland and we are getting excited. Let him play a solid innings against some better side.
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May 21, 2018 08:09pm
Fawad Alam is an average player and a guy with bad cricketing etiquettes.
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May 21, 2018 08:12pm
Imam was selected as an opener in place of ShaanMasood who was injured . So it’s crystal clear. Now the kids selected ahead of Fawad Alam are Saad Ali and Usman Salahuddin. Looks at their performance in the last domestic season . They were top of the list . What’s the fuss about then ? I think those who are criticizing Inzi for not selecting Fawad are guilty of favortisim not Inzi
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May 21, 2018 08:29pm
too early to tell.
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May 21, 2018 08:29pm
@ak. Don't forget the warm up games.
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May 21, 2018 08:39pm
Imam has a long way to go to prove himself. Those 70 odd runs are no smash buckling innings by Sachin on his debut. One where he faced high challenge of England as a 17 year old and still nade his century. That my friend was talent.
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May 21, 2018 08:39pm
Imam still has a lot to prove and the fact remains that he is in the team because of his uncle! A batsman with a first class average of 35 doesnt merit a place in the national squad especially when there are people with better stats available. Nothing against Imam, but he would not have been in the team had Inzi not been chief selector; its that simple. And poor Fawad Alam is still being hard done, whatever lame excuses Inzi may make!
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May 21, 2018 08:49pm
This article is so preposterous and never more so when starting with an apology to
Inzimam because criticism on Inzimam is for not selecting Fawad Alam with average of 55. 00 in domestic and giving peference to his nephew who's ave in domestic is 36.00.
I really think this article is explain away the wrongdoings of our selectors,
Not to mention this is not the first time they did this to Fawad Alam.
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May 21, 2018 08:55pm
Scoring against Ireland, or even other teams, is not the same if you do it against Australia in tests and IN AUSTRALIA. Only a handful of Pakistanis have done it in the last 2 decades, Inzimam included - he would feign injury to avoid being selected in tests. Fawad has proven himself in such tests (as did Salman Butt, and a couple others only) amongst the very few. And you do not pass judgement after only 2 innings, one of which was a failure. Selection on the basis of nepotism and/or baradari sytem is abhorent and hurts national interests.
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May 21, 2018 08:56pm
Fully agree with the writer.
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May 21, 2018 09:02pm
While the arguments for Imam ul Haq selection may be there in this article, there is not much substance in not selecting Fawad Alam. The only reasoning presented is that his average dropped this year. This reasoning would have made sense, if he was selected last year and is omitted this time. He was NOT selected last season and is not selected this season: so what is the comparison for?
Selecting four openers for a short series and not selecting Fawad, Mr Inzamamul Haq is not acquitted of the blame he is getting.
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May 21, 2018 09:05pm
An apology ?
Too much , please
What an absurd article to explain away wrongdoings and what a bizarre effort
to exonerate Inzimam who left out Fawad Alam with ave of 55 and select Imam
with ave of 36.
Not to mention this is not tne first time they tease Fawad Alam .
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May 21, 2018 09:17pm
Sir, he is not Brian Lara or Sachan or Virat... So give him little time to prove his worth...
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May 21, 2018 09:25pm
There is a conflict of interest and there is no justification for that. Inzi needs to resign since he is the chief selector and his blood relative is in contention. Inzi would do great benefit to young Imam and take that microscope off of him. If not Imam will suffer every time he fails with the bat his relationship will be discussed. But then again this is Pakistan and thing called resignation does not exist unless you are forced by the court, and you will walk away crying foul all the way. Inzi is already in cross hairs for not picking deserving Fawad Alam. There is not justification for not picking this lad and he is been done in by so righteous Inzi.
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May 21, 2018 09:31pm
I agree with the writer. Also, i think views of lots of other commentators here and else where in the previous articles of this issue has a natural regional biasness towards the issue and they favour Fawad on regional grounds.
Regards,
Ammar
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May 21, 2018 09:32pm
I still believe that he didn't justify his selection on merit at first place; especially ahead of Fawad Alam. Having said this, he shouldn't have been ignored merely because he was Inzi's nephew. Wishing him best of luck.
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May 21, 2018 09:32pm
My one question to the writer if he care to read the comments. I hope Imamul Haq scores a century in his next test against England. But if after this series Imamul Haq is dropped for the next nine years from Test Cricket how he or his uncle would feel and what justification Ramiz Raja would give. The writer may think it is unthinkable but sir, this is what happened to Fawad Alam only he didn't have an uncle at the helm of the affair.
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May 21, 2018 09:36pm
@Anti-Corruption_Pakistani the writer has not made him in to a super star but just worthy of deserving a chance. Give credit where its due. The writer has just apologized for his mistake for labelling him as a parchi player juts because of his surname
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May 21, 2018 09:41pm
I totally disagree with the writer. There is nothing to be proud of if from two deserving candidates, one is picked unfairly based on favoritism and then he goes on to perform against minnows like Ireland.
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May 21, 2018 09:45pm
@spellbinder Didn't Ramiz raja said Fawad is not test material and he should never have been selected in the first place. Ramiz says there is a flaw in Fawad technique and even if he were chief selector he would also not have selected Fawad Alam for the national team.
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May 21, 2018 09:46pm
It has to come down to the "narrative"!
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May 21, 2018 09:48pm
Very immature and far too quick judgement about Imam’s true class. Lets see how does he perform against quality attack like England or Australia. So far he looks ok but nothing extraordinary in his batting.
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May 21, 2018 09:49pm
Too, too, too early to draw conclusions!
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May 21, 2018 09:50pm
Much needed and well deserved. Thanks for this apology on behalf of all pakistanis.
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May 21, 2018 09:52pm
This is too premature. He has performed against Ireland, a comple newbie playing their first test match. Though he did perform but it is too early days.
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May 21, 2018 10:08pm
The author has set a good example of accepting a mistake. It is a delightful precedent. Kudos to you sir, rarely seen in Pakistan..
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May 21, 2018 10:31pm
Still doesn't explain why Fawad Alam wasn't picked even with an average of 56. If 'humanity' is the criterion to pick players, then I guess Fawad is not human enough for the selectors because he is from Karachi?
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May 21, 2018 10:35pm
So far he has faced no challenging bowling. Wait till he faces the sword at the games meant for men and not for boys. We will soon enough know if there is a reason to apologise.
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May 21, 2018 10:38pm
Wow writer has poor cricketing sense. You want to bail out Inzamam only after one good inning of his nephew?
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May 21, 2018 10:51pm
Great start and good luck for the future, Imam, but Pakistan's cricket history is full of flash-in-the-pans. There are good players and then there are the GREATs. What makes them great is consistency....There is a reason why Bradman, Hammond, Hutton, Sobers, Gavaskar, Richards, Miandad, Lara and more recently Tendulkar, Kallis, Ponting,Yunus, Kohli and even Chanderpaul are considered among the greats and despite the heroics Sehwag, Zaheer, Gayle, Atherton, Azharuddin, McCallum and others have not been inducted into that category. Chanderpaul has made 66 Test Fifties- the second highest after Tendulkar and has saved West Indians more times than Sobers and all the fast bowlers. Yunus has scored more 100s than 50s. Gayle has scored 300s twice but failed every time a big score was expected of him. McCallum made a blasting century in his last Test but nobody would bet on him. Yasir Hameed made 170 and 105 in his debut Test. I have lots of hope on Imam and Fakhar Zaman as openers.
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May 21, 2018 10:59pm
Wow the author seems to be very presumptive about Imam. That is only one inning versus a weak opponent, does not come close to any semblance of consistency. Fawad has performed consistently for that last five years that is atrack record.
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May 21, 2018 11:18pm
No matter what you say, this is nepotism pure and simple. Inzi destroyed Pakistan cricket before and will do it again.
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May 21, 2018 11:33pm
Give him or them a break. And just one match does not authenticate his or their abilities. Too much of a praise so early sometimes backfires very badly.
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May 21, 2018 11:35pm
Premature praising has a very drastic psychological stress on some and in the past we may have lost some very good players.
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May 21, 2018 11:38pm
@Ali Hasnain hear some like me are only trying say too early a praise in a career does no good but harms most of the time.
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May 21, 2018 11:44pm
It was a 70 run innings against Ireland. Not a century in a world Cup final. At the very least Imam's selection is a conflict of interest issue while his uncle is heading the selection committee.
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May 21, 2018 11:47pm
Fawad Alam latest 90 not out in county cricket ....
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May 22, 2018 12:01am
What about all the other players who are consistently failing to bat. He should take responsibility for selecting them as well.
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May 22, 2018 12:02am
Great on part of the writer. Needs courage to take back your words
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May 22, 2018 12:14am
I think this apology is due from Inzamam, not Pakistanis who want to see best player in team, not parchi player regardless of that player gave performance in one or two test. Imam is third class player at least until today. His first class average of 35 does not make him deserve a test place. If he had average like two other players, Saad and Usman and Fawad (FC ave 56) was also in team, than I would have kept quite. Even with Ireland, I think Saad (FC ave 46) or Usman (FC ave 46) should have been given chance instead of Imam (FC ave 35).
I sincerely believe, judging from Imam performance, that in long run, his test average is unlikely to even reach 40. So, stop praising Inzamam for his wrongdoings.
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May 22, 2018 12:29am
Good to see someone in Pakistan has the guts to admit there mistake. In a country where iinnuendoes and malicious gossips are a daily occurrence, truth is welcomed. Cricket is a game. Players perform and then they have lean periods as well let’s give the youngsters there full chance.
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May 22, 2018 12:33am
No doubt Inam has performed at crisis and led to Pakistan victory, let give him fair chances to prove his selection in the team over the narrative of nepotism, wish him best for playing in our national team.
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May 22, 2018 12:34am
We wish Imam well and the critique should not have been Imam vs Fawad. People just think that Fawad is too good a player to be left out for so long. I would understand it if Fawad was a tiger in domestic cricket and a pussycat in international cricket but that is not the case. He has won Pakistan a match and has a decent average.
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May 22, 2018 12:34am
Injustice with Fawad.
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May 22, 2018 01:08am
Don't know what I think of Imamul Haq, but this writing belongs in a classroom somewhere as one of the best short opinion pieces written in sports journalism.
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May 22, 2018 01:14am
Action speak Louder than words and that Imamul Haq prove with his bat
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May 22, 2018 01:28am
Sir u have se t a good precedent now every one who makes a mistake should follow u and appologize
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May 22, 2018 01:37am
A player's performance on the field can clear many doubts about player's talent and level of expertise. The forthcoming series in England will help in removing any doubts in the capabilities of Imamul Haq. Having said that I am OK with extending an olive branch to the coach Inzamam and let the time prove one way or another. However, I am still confused on not including a second wicket keeper in the time. I do not think that was a wise decision to give Sarfaraz responsibilities of keeping the wickets in all tests as well as non-test matches. Sarfaraz may get fatigued and his own batting performance will suffer.
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May 22, 2018 02:11am
@Fahim Khan Most sensible comment, and a query that must be answered by Inzi. I personally think leaving Fawad out was 'criminal'!
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May 22, 2018 02:57am
@Uzi. I am sick and tired of hearing comments that end with so and so didn't get something because they are from so and so. Isn't the captain from Karachi. If he really wanted this player in the team then he would have been in it. So keep your lame excuses to yourself.
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May 22, 2018 03:11am
Good gesture.
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May 22, 2018 03:15am
I think imam and fawad both should have been playing. They should have brought Fawad as test specialist. The current crop of batters will not be able to play English bowlers for 180 overs
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May 22, 2018 03:21am
One may have read thousands of surgery books but the challenges in the surgery room are better served by a real surgeon. I believe cricket is better played and understood by test cricketers then fluent English speaking writers and critiques!
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May 22, 2018 03:57am
Hero on just one innings, and against Ireland! Come on guys, you can show some brains!
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May 22, 2018 04:09am
@optimist the great ramiz hasan raja who was himself a very mediocre player. Yes we should take his opinion very seriously.
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May 22, 2018 04:54am
@Dr. Salaria, Aamir Ahmad Agree it is too early, but the way he played with aggression and sensibility, it is something to be admired. Look at all the other veterans and how they failed against pressure and the same bowling.
It shows this kid has a strong will and a strong attitude. The real test is when the chips are against you.
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May 22, 2018 05:09am
Imam's innings against a B grade minnow team does not "prove"any talent. Let him play against better teams then we will know that Pakistan has better players who deserve a place in the team.
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May 22, 2018 05:10am
@Dr. Salaria, Aamir Ahmad For once you are making some sense.
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May 22, 2018 05:43am
The issue was never with Imam ul Haq. A player Fawad Alam who has consistently shown that he is a great batsman was dropped out in almost all formats of cricket. Players will come and go and some of them would be good but with Fawad Alam Pakistan spoiled a talent with dirty politics.
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May 22, 2018 07:29am
Fawad has a good and commendable track record in international games too. He played and saved a crucial game during Asia cup not too long ago. He deserve to be selected and have been ignored regularly for unknown reasons.
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May 22, 2018 07:42am
@Dr. Salaria, Aamir Ahmad ALL OTHER Players were playing against the same team. So please learn to appreciate
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May 22, 2018 08:14am
A very sincere article.
If only we as a nation could learn to let the people in positions do their job and show patience by not having opinions about the work of others- like a chaiwala on a dhabba (and similar others of our country) seem to be expertly criticising the work of the country's politicians or cricketers or any one else for that matter but could not make proper chai himself. If only we could all do own jobs well and leave others do their job...
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May 22, 2018 08:23am
why not apology to Fawad Alam for him proving the class yet not selected because of nepotism.
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May 22, 2018 09:07am
Totaly biased and I am surprised that you are comparing and justifying inclusion of newcomer who only has just one good inning under his belt with a guy who has demonstrated time and again an excellent domestic record and had hardly had a chance to prove this on the bigger stage. There simply can be no comparision.
While I think it is still too early to comment on Imam ul Haq. I believe there are a number of other players in the team who do no deserve the spot. Fawad has proven this over the years that he has the fitness and the record to back his selection in the national team but alas our parchi and "who knows who" system doesnt look at how good a player one is.
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May 22, 2018 09:35am
The writer seems very impressed by this Ul Haq family. This article also reminds us how we start making heroes out of player after a single performance or even after few good performance. Then this so-called star is focusing more over his social media and commercial. We have not produced a single world-class player in decades who is match winner and or a consistent performer. We should also stop parsing, writing and talking about cricket and cricketer only. There are still other players and sport we and media must speak about and promote.
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May 22, 2018 10:03am
It Looks Writer it quite happy that Imam has performed well in Ireland and justified his selection. I think we should wait until the whole England tour is not finished.
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May 22, 2018 10:41am
Very nice article.
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May 22, 2018 10:47am
Kick him out he is a failed player. Fawad Alam should be selected but inzam ul haq wants his nephew
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May 22, 2018 10:51am
This still does not change the fact that Fawad Alam should have been selected and played. Who says that he would not have done as well or better. Whenever called in for any test, ODI etc he has always delivered.
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May 22, 2018 11:10am
bravo!
takes a good man to apologize!
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May 22, 2018 11:19am
Keeping aside Fawad's selection; Imam deserved a place. This writer is a fair critic for he accepted his and everyone else's wrong perceptions....
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May 22, 2018 11:55am
Every New Pakistani batsman perform well at international level like Umar akmal, Ahmed shehzad, Sami Aslam, Nasir Jamshed and Imam ul Haq. Its when the other countries find out their flaws and how they tackle those issues shows us the real Jem, unfortunately many promising talents have disappointed because of these issues.
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May 22, 2018 11:55am
You seem trigger happy.
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May 22, 2018 12:29pm
Great Gesture of making apology at DAWN platform. INZI has great eye to pick players, he has picked the talents considering future. He has done a marvelous job till now for ODI and T20. Hope, our test team will be set soon Insha'Allah.
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May 22, 2018 12:31pm
What a crooked way of trying to discredit the best domestic player for years after years.
The writer cannot deny the last years good average of 40 for Fawad Alam but is quick to point out that this good average is lower than the great average Fawad has had last year.
He fails to mention the superb average of Fawad in the last many many years.
Unbelievable.
It hurts to be a supporter of that country with such an unjust system. I hate to be fan of Pakistan team which is selected on bias.
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May 22, 2018 12:56pm
I think we also owe an apology to Fawad Alam
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May 22, 2018 01:15pm
I admire your courage to accept your errors
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May 22, 2018 01:46pm
Two things which I like about Imam, one he is quick on his feet, very agile foot work busy at crease and like. Subcontinent players, strong on this pads. Second thing is his ability to play proper cricketing shorts. Unfortunately with advancement of t20, classic cricketing shorts are slowly dying. Imam ayed some lovely cover and straight drives. He literally needs to keep his head high and straight, but he should continue to play they way his natural game is.
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May 22, 2018 02:26pm
Too much too soon; that is how the article should be described. In addition, this controversial 'right', which has torturous years ahead to prove itself or otherwise, does not justify the WRONG of consistently not picking Fawad Alam who is perfect for the 1 down position.
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May 22, 2018 02:32pm
He's played one test, that too against Ireland. I think we should all calm down and wait and see how he goes
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May 22, 2018 02:36pm
If Principal of a Medical college gave admission to his nephew who scored 2nd class in Pre-Medicine exams, ignoring many other candidates who scored 1st class, than obviously Principal would be called corrupt, unjust and characterless, while admission would be called nepotism and nephew as Parchi.
Later, if nephew passes exams or not becomes meaningless. Similarly, if someone starts justifying nephew's admission, praising uncle, would be called 'Ignorant' - a 'Jayala' praising 'Urdu' of Bilawal better than Maulvi Abdul Haq.
Imagine: Fawad is middle order batsman still scored century (168 runs) in 2nd inning of his 1st Test as 'Opener' still selectors including bearded Inzamam kept Fawad out of team (since last 9 years). Now explain, how can anyone say that those unjustly not selected, if selected, would not have scored better than Imam in Ireland Test, when on average they score almost twice what Imam scores in FC cricket? - So, please do not justify something unjustifiable.
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May 22, 2018 03:36pm
most comments are unwanted , without realizing the pressure implied on Imam-ul-haq.
It is important to understand from a player point of view that he has prove his place in team with his performances and same time abnormal pressure being implied as nephew of Inzamam-ul-Haq and to justify his selection , not biased .
His performance in this test match or before , can tell you the temperament and his dedication for doing well .
Team needs such players , who can handle pressure inside and outside team .
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May 22, 2018 03:46pm
Heartful seeing admission of flawed preconcieved notions.
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May 22, 2018 03:55pm
It’s a first step of a mature society, when a wrong is admitted with reason and rationale, in public, something quite rare. But the author has giviven the right direction.
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May 22, 2018 04:00pm
I am really surprised on people who are making someone hero on one inning. If Imam is so good than why his first class average is pathetic? ... Here is his record in first class cricket:
FC matches 37, innings 66 ... total runs 2004 with average 36 (that includes runs he made in this tour ... as before this tour, his average was 34). Imam list A 1055 in 32 inning with pathetic average 34. Compare to Imam, many have FC average 46 Plus, List A average 45 plus, who are ignored.
So, question is not that what score Imam made (as, other better batsmen could have made more than Imam), question is that, why those whose performance is better than Imam are ignored and Imam selection is justified? ... If merit is taken in selection, obviously if Imam was better, he would have had better performance in FC cricket then these players who are ignored, but his performance is pathetic compared to them, so why they are ignored and such low grade player selected?
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May 22, 2018 05:10pm
One swallow does not a summer make.
The writer seems to belong to that tribe which heaps praise on someone and asks for their heads based on one good or bad performance.
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May 22, 2018 06:10pm
Thank you so much for this positive piece article
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May 22, 2018 06:40pm
You might be jumping the gun as well. A bird or two don't make a summer.
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May 22, 2018 07:36pm
so if he fails a few times in the coming matches, we will start abusing again. this is reactive behavior and quite useless.
the issue with the selection process was the conflict of interest of chacha making choice of keeping bhateeja or not. the conflict of interest needs to be avoided. one option to avoid the conflict of interest, Inzi should have recused himself from the selection process atleast at this initial stage of giving him his first cap
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May 22, 2018 07:40pm
Inzamam's criticism was based on Imam's performance AT THE TIME of his selection not how he performs after his selection. How he performs afterwards is yet to be seen. 1 test match is not a valid performance test. Moreover, Fawad had had a consistent run of solid domestic and international performances, one odd off season notwithstanding. He has been shun for so long that his age now is reason enough to ignore him in favour of younger talent.
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May 22, 2018 09:02pm
If Fawad is so talented, how come he was not picked by any PSL team? Or is there another conspiracy theory stashed somewhere?
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May 22, 2018 09:28pm
@Farooque not even one series, brother. One match.
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May 22, 2018 09:49pm
I would prefer Fakhar as a opener any day he will score quick and is a lot better fielder then Imam
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May 22, 2018 09:50pm
I think he should be dropped. We should take him for couple of tours and not make him bat and drop him. Do the same with Harris Sohail. They don't hit boundaries. Isn't this what was said for Fawad, these two players are doing the same......so let us treat them the same way.
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May 22, 2018 10:10pm
@Anti-Corruption_Pakistani
Good one, its early to predict a player like Imam
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May 22, 2018 10:19pm
@Syed: If Imam plays so good than why his first class average was 34 in 66 FC innings (and that is called pathetic performance for a player wanting to get into test team as batsman)? ... And why you think he would do better in test compared to his first class record (remember, he also has few odd very good innings in FC, with highest score of 200* ... have 4 centuries and 12 fifties. But then, many other batsmen have much better performance than Imam, so why he sits outside?
Now, what would you say to batsmen who are performing better than Imam throughout and their FC average (even as Opener) is much better, they also scored more centuries per inning than Imam? ... would you tell them to look for parchi or rot, because they are 3rd class Pakistanis? ... You have to understand that when it comes to merit, player whose performance is better should be selected before players with lower performance (and Imam performance is not lower, but pathetic).
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May 22, 2018 10:26pm
Too early to blame and too early to apologise.
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May 23, 2018 12:30am
Fawad should have been considered in place of Sami Aslam and/or Saad Ali.
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May 23, 2018 01:04am
@optimist who cares about a parchi players"Ramiz Raja" comments to get him into the team Shoaib Mohammad used to get dropped although he was a better fielder and could bowl offspin.
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May 23, 2018 01:06am
@Vivian Baldev Samuel
You seems to have no clue about T20 and Test cricket
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May 23, 2018 02:20am
Too early...even if he does perform well in future doesn't undermine the fact that Inzimam over looked many talented players who had performed well since many years to make way for his nephew who had hardly played one or may be two first class seasons. I am not pointing out Fawad Alam here there many other talented player around imam's age who have been constantly knocking on PCB's door based on their outstanding performance of last few seasons but somehow one good first class season was good enough for Imamo to wear the coveted green cap...nepotism at its best...having said that there is no doubt about his talent or abilities but there were much more deserving players in the side
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May 23, 2018 08:50am
Life is all about chances, you take away from some body who deserved initially, that is injustice nothing else.
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May 23, 2018 10:20am
An article written with an ink of courage and dried by pleasant wind of humanity. Such pieces remind us of our Human/e nature. Thanks!
Good Luck to both Imam and Inzamam!
Abhay A Joshi
Pune India.
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May 23, 2018 11:19am
@Whatchful u should probably change ur nick name . U aren’t watchful at all . As absurd a comment as possible . Inzi was our greatest match winner- batsman ( stats prove that so no argument there unless u r biased) and as far as management positions are concerned he boosted the Afghan team and then Pakistan team which won Champions Trophy with young players that got selected . So stats prove that ur comment is just hateful and lacks any material
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May 23, 2018 11:25am
@Umar Fawad was not picked because Inzi picked the top domestic performers who performed better than Fawad in the last season . Check out the stats of The two young kids Usman and Saad . Both had a better season and are youngsters so they were picked over Fawad. Only players who was picked over Fawad was Asad Shafiq who had poor stats last year and should have been dropped . Imam was only selected since Shan was injured . In a country like UK u need atleast 3 openers ( Azher should be 3) . So what’s the fuss about now ?
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May 23, 2018 12:50pm
Till compromising on Fawad's exclusion is a big question mark, for which, he doesn't have any answer.
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May 23, 2018 02:37pm
just 4 words.
Salute to the Writer!
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May 23, 2018 05:49pm
One game does NOT make a champion. The team has a whole series ahead of it, let us see what the end results are.
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May 23, 2018 06:24pm
Very talented Your comment
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May 23, 2018 07:30pm
@Hrm: Do you know performance of top batsmen to make your claim? - I know that it is futile to talk sense with people who are bias and never progressed in life on merit. still: I admit that Fawad 2017 performance was not so good compared to his own past performances, but Fawad domestic FC performance in 2017 was still much better than those who got selected. For instance:
Averages descending order in Q-e-Azam trophy (2017-18 ... FC or test equivalent):
Fawad: 41 (higher than any selected batsmen except Saad)
Selected: Saad: 68 (highest average in Q-e-Azam trophy) ... Usman: 38 ... Sami: 37 ... Asad: 30 ... Azhar: 29 ... Babar: 28 ... Imam-ul-Haq: 27.
and do on (As for Haris, I believe he did not play FC cricket since last 3 yrs, still selected).
Averages In Pakistan cup (2017 ... List A or ODI equivalent):
Fawad: 81 (SR: 99) ... Imad Wasim 79 (SR: 119) ... Khurram Mansoor 76 (SR: 132)
In team: Sami: 66 (SR: 114) ... Fakhar: 61 (SR: 102) ... Haris: 47 (SR: 96)
and so on.
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May 23, 2018 08:09pm
Well written column.
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May 23, 2018 08:42pm
@Tank. Lol, Asad Shafiq was a part of PSL as well as Pak Test squad.
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May 23, 2018 09:29pm
Lets see what his stats are after 2-3 years. I can name scores of players that showed great promise, but no one knows them today.
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May 23, 2018 09:32pm
@optimist- Ramiz always had a bone to pick with Tariq Alam, Fawad's father so I would discount his comments totally. Plus remember how critical he was of Sarfaraz when he was finally selected and always favoured Kamran Akmal. He has his favorites like everyone else but is in a position to influence selections unfortunately. Remember how he always showers praise on Umar Amin and Sohaib Maqsood. Imam may be a good find but it is too early to claim all this. Remember we have had many claims like this with Sami Aslam, Shan Masood, Fakhar Zaman and others but one has to be consistent to prove their worth.
Also if you recall, Fawad made a massive century on debut in an away test for Pakistan in their second innings under tremendous pressure but was discarded after just a couple more tests.
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May 23, 2018 09:51pm
@Shazad The selection of Imamul Haq and non-selection of Fawad Alam [ irrespective of how Imam performs] will go down as the worst case of nepotism no matter how Ramiz raja would like to justify that.
This is conflict of interest and Imam past performance does not justify a place for him in the national team preferred over so many. I wonder if Nur Khan, A. H. Kardar and Imran Khan have not selected players on merit and the same selection committee [ Inzi and group] was there when Hanif Mohammad and Javed Miandad were playing they would never have played test cricket.
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May 24, 2018 07:24am
He is just like any other good players, he got a chance to prove himself, but like many others may or mayn't be successful. He deserved to be selected. Why all these questions come, only because his uncle is the sector?
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May 24, 2018 08:07am
That is the problem, our standards have gone so low that any performance makes anyone a super in a day timeframe. Let's not jump the gun and see how he performs in England and I sure do hope he does better because he seems to have talent but no where close to be a super star
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May 24, 2018 08:38am
What happened- has imam helped Pak won a maiden 5 test series against Australia like his uncle had once achieved against the most mighty West Indies??
Where’s cricinfo result report of the two series
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May 24, 2018 09:02am
I do not agree with the writer. 70 odd runs against Ireland does not justify that Fawad Alam deserved no place in the squad. This is over-ambitious write-up.
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May 24, 2018 09:23am
Who said that he had to be in place of Imam ? Fawad has his own distinct credentials that should merit a place in the team since a long time
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May 24, 2018 09:47am
Disagree, inzamam also barred misbah during his captaincy. Nepotism runs deep in this one
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May 24, 2018 09:55am
I disagree with you. Very very strongly. Imam may be a good talent. But the fact is that he was picked because of his uncle. Otherwise, there were also other openers who were younger and had a better average than him.
Your comment about Fawad is absolutely ridiculous. He has proved his worth and he deserves a place in the test squad. What the crack is Haris Sohail doing in the squad, when he didn't even play last years Quaid-e-Azam trophy. Where is Sadaf Hussain, the fast bowlers, I mean have you seen his numbers. Please look them up.
Some selections are good like Faheem. However, PCB and Inzi have not bee fair, transparent and partial in their selection.
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May 24, 2018 10:44am
We make Superstars out of one performance....Imam has just played a single test that too against a side like Ireland. Lets wait and see for a year or two and then an article like this would have been relevant.
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May 24, 2018 01:06pm
Too early to issue an apology for something that was said prematurely as well. We're too fast to judge people and situations.
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May 24, 2018 02:14pm
@optimist: You are right. Fact is, if Imam's FC Ave was similar to Saad and Usman (both have FC ave above 46) than for me, regardless of his relation with Inzamam, his inclusion in team would have been justifiable, but with Imam's FC ave 34, his inclusion was preposterous.
As for Imam's performance in test, time would tell. Some good players may fail in test and occasionally an undeserving player may shine in test, but it does not mean undeserving player getting selected (even if they succeed in test) is justifiable.
On the other hand, if good player gets selected (on merit) than they should get at least some tests (maybe 10) to prove their worth at test level. As for Fawad, he got ONLY 3 tests, all in 2009, and he proved his worth (his test ave is 42) but it is unfortunate that he got discarded due to Pakistan stinking discrimination, provincialism and biases, even though Fawad kept performing in FC and has better FC ave (55.4 runs) than any Pakistani batsman ever.
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May 24, 2018 09:40pm
Guess who got out at 6 run on 14 balls. Time to drop this pathetic player
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May 24, 2018 10:29pm
@Vaseem Siddiqi Absolutely!!
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May 24, 2018 10:30pm
@Vaseem Siddiqi true!
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May 24, 2018 10:30pm
True!
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May 24, 2018 10:32pm
@Malik 100% true!!
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May 25, 2018 01:46am
Fully agreed with the write. lets apologized to Inzamam and Imam
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May 25, 2018 01:51am
I wonder if the writer is going to recant his views based on today's performance and apologize again, hopefully, after the second innings when Imam will bounce again?
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May 25, 2018 07:11am
Out for 4 runs vs a real test side in Lords. There's your new champion.
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May 25, 2018 09:45am
Why apology these players are successful in side matches only not in official matches. why apology look at dismal performance on first test!
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May 25, 2018 06:33pm
Imam ul Haq is out for just 4 runs in the first inning against England.
He did better against Ireland who were playing their first ever test match. This could not and should not be used to certify the nephew Haq is a better cricketer than Fawad Alam.
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May 26, 2018 02:47am
He is in the team because of his uncle FULL STOP
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