NA body slates Inzi for selecting nephew

ISLAMABAD: The decision of Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) chief selector Inzamamul Haq to drop speedster Wahab Riaz and include his nephew Imamul Haq in the Test squad for England tour came under harsh criticism during the meeting of National Assembly Standing Committee on Inter-Provincial Coordination (IPC) here Monday.

Imam, who scored just 222 runs in five Quaid-i-Azam Trophy matches with poor average of around 27 runs per innings this year, was preferred over two dozens of batsmen having better average in the trophy.Iqbal Mohammad Ali, an MNA from Karachi, said that it was unjust to include Imam and drop consistent Fawad Alam from the touring party.

“Imam is totally raw and not worthy of selection for the tough England tour. If you are nephew of the chief selector that does not mean you qualify for selection in the national team. Your performance in Quaid-i-Azam Trophy is almost zero. Why then Imam finds a place in the team. In contrast, Fawad who has been scoring heavily in the domestic cricket has been dropped again.”

The MNA also criticised Wahab’s exclusion, saying that he had a speed to take wickets under the given circumstances.“I feel the decision to drop him is totally unjust. He is the only Pakistani bowler who can touch 150km and has the ability to trouble batsmen with his speed. Why he has been dropped?” he questioned.