Pakistani all-rounder Imad Wasim (Photo: ICC)
Imad Wasim’s omission was questioned by former players after the all-rounder was left out of the Pakistan team for the first T20I against New Zealand after retiring to play international cricket again.
Wasim and left-arm seamer Mohammad Amir came out of retirement after much convincing ahead of the T20 World Cup in June this year, but the spin-bowling all-rounder did not find a place in the eleven on Thursday.
Only two balls were bowled as incessant rain washed out the first T20I here, with Pakistan handing debuts to UAE-based off-spinner Usman Khan, middle-order batsman and seamer Irfan Khan and mystery spinner Abrar Ahmed.
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Former Test player Iqbal Qasim said: (It) doesn’t make sense, honestly, Imad should have played in place of Shadab Khan.
Mohsin Khan, former player, head coach and chief selector, said players like Imad and Amir have to play all the matches to overcome the rust.
There is so much to do and cry about bringing back Imad and Amir and they need to get maximum matches to overcome their rustiness in international cricket, he said.
It is known that skipper Babar Azam and Imad do not have a cordial relationship. Babar is said to have left the Karachi Kings franchise in the Pakistan Super League due to Imad, who later went on to play for Islamabad United.
Former captain and team director Mohammad Hafeez had claimed that Imad had taken his international retirement after feeling harassed by the team management, including Babar.
It would have made more sense for cricket to have Imad, who is a left-arm spinner, and bring more power in the lower batting order compared to Shadab, said another former player.
However, cricket writer and analyst Omar Alavi believes that Babar needs to make the right decisions in his second stint.
Babar has been given a second chance to create his own legacy as Pakistan’s captain, but to do that he must ensure he is selected based on merit and situational requirements, Alavi said.
Meanwhile, Pakistan will look to maximize their preparations for the T20 World Cup with series against New Zealand (ongoing), Ireland and England.
(Only the headline and image of this report may have been reworked by Business Standard staff; the rest of the content is automatically generated from a syndicated feed.)
First print: April 19, 2024 | 2:07 PM IST