Inzamam-ul-Haq defends selection of his nephew in Pakistan ODI squad

Former Pakistan captain and Chief Selector for the Pakistan Cricket team, Inzamam-ul-Haq, justified his move to select his nephew Imam-ul-Haq in the Pakistan squad for the Sri Lanka series starting September 13. Inzy has been at the receiving end of criticism for nepotism and bias towards his nephew.

Inzamam hit back at all the allegations by boldly admitting that he is Imam’s uncle but his selection was based on domestic performances. Furthermore, he revealed that his selection in the squad was sanctioned after due consultation from captain Sarfraz Ahmed and head coach Mickey Arthur.

“Yes, I am the uncle of Imam ul Haq. I have selected 15 players for the one-day team but everyone is focusing only on Imam. He has been performing in the domestic circuit,” justified Inzamam-ul-Haq according to his interview with Geo News.

“We cannot select a batsman only on the criteria that he is the highest scorer. Talent, batting skills, and technique are also to be considered for the selection of any player. The scorecard would be enough to judge the players if the number of runs scored was the only criteria,” added Inzamam with a smile on his face.

In the 31 First Class games he has played so far, Imam has already amassed as many as 1744 runs at an average of 37.10. He also has 4 centuries to his name along with 9 half-centuries, with the best score of 200*.

Imam comes in place of Azhar Ali who is currently featuring in the second Day-Night Test match between Pakistan and Sri Lanka. The other name to miss out on the series is bowler fast bowler Wahab Riaz.

Pakistan ODI squad vs Sri Lanka:

Ahmed Shehzad, Fakhar Zaman, Imam-ul-Haq, Mohammad Hafeez, Babar Azam, Shoaib Malik, Haris Sohail, Sarfraz Ahmed, Imad Wasim, Shadab Khan, Faheem Ashraf, Hasan Ali, Mohammad Amir, Rumman Raees, Junaid Khan.