Determined not to give up

December 3, 2017

Determined not to give up

Test discard Fawad Alam continues to be ignored by the selectors despite having given brilliant performances with the bat in recent times. However, he remains confident that he would get back into the national team.

The 32-year-old Fawad recently became the second fastest player to cross the mark of 10,000 runs in first-class cricket. He achieved the milestone during his 108-run knock while playing for SSGC against UBL in Quaid-e-Azam Trophy at Sialkot. It was his 211th innings of first class cricket.

He is behind Hanif Mohammad who reached the landmark in only 189 innings.

Fawad was declared the fittest player alongside Younis Khan, Misbahul Haq and Shan Masood at a camp organised at Kakul last year. Nevertheless, he has been ignored continuously by the selectors.

Fawad while talking to ‘The News on Sunday’ said that he was working extra-ordinarily hard to stage a comeback. "A player is responsible for his performance. What can I do other than scoring runs heavily!" he said.

"I am performing with consistency and I hope the selectors have better plans for me," he added.

He said that he sometimes got disappointed. "It’s human nature. Sometimes we get disappointed because of the attitude we face, but we have to move on and look forward.

"Everything happens according to God’s will. My faith is strong. If I say I’m not disheartened I’d be lying to myself," said Fawad, who made his Test debut in 2009.

Fawad said that he is not against any player who is part of the national team. He said he was just focusing on his game and trying to attract the attention of the selectors.

He rejected the critics who say Imam-ul-Haq was called up because he was nephew of Inzamam-ul-Haq. "He is a good player and can play a big role in achieving targets," he added.

Fawad said that players have to shut the mouths of critics with their performances. "Imam has done that," he added.

In reply to a question regarding the recent statement of Sarfraz in which the skipper talked about him and said "Allah ke yahan der hai andher nahi", Fawad said that it was good to hear the captain saying that.

He also added that he had played with Sarfraz a lot of times and always found him kind towards his teammates. "Sarfraz is very supportive," he stated.

In reply to a question regarding Karachi Whites’ performance in National T20 Cup, Fawad said that winning and losing were part of the game.

He added that the teams in the tournament included players from other regions as well. "Maybe that was the reason Karachi Whites could not do well," he said.

When asked about Sarfraz’s captaincy, he said that he was a great leader, but even great players were not able to win matches every time.

He said he was confident that his team (SSGC) would perform well in the super-eight phase of the Quaid-e-Azam Trophy. "I am focusing on my performance and hope to give my best," he stated.

About the PSL final in Karachi, he said that the efforts of the PCB should be praised as they were now preparing to conduct matches in cities other than Lahore as well.

Fawad said that PSL had revolutionised Pakistan cricket as it had attracted sensational talent from across the country. "PSL has given a new approach to the country in finding young talent," he said.

Determined not to give up