Inzamam-ul-Haq unimpressed with lack of match winners in PSL

Former Pakistan skipper and the current chairman of selectors of the Pakistan national side Inzamam-ul-Haq is clearly not pleased with the dearth of quality batsmen in the country. The second edition of the Pakistan Super League (PSL) has been a great hit and has managed to garner a lot of attention. However, amidst all this, the selector has failed to spot any talent that could potentially be the country’s next big thing with the bat. Some of the younger lots have played well in the tournament to have made a name for themselves with the bat.

The most notable mentions would be of Lahore Qalandars middle order batsman Fakhar Zaman. While the Qalandars had a dismal outing in the league and were the only team to be ousted from the race for the playoffs, Fakhar Zaman emerged as the solitary bright lining for the franchise.

Islamabad United, who lost to Karachi Kings in the all-important second qualifying final, also saw opener Hussain Talat and all-rounder Shadab Khan impress with the bat. Despite these sporadic shows, they failed to be the big thing that the selector was looking for. Inzamam noted that they hoped to see a batsman who could be the finisher for the national side in limited overs fixtures. Over the last few years, Pakistan has failed to close in the matches on a winning note after doing most of the things right in the match.

In a conversation with BBC Urdu, the former skipper quoted, “Our batsmen are able to post good scores but are not able to close the match on a winning note, and need to work on it because the national team requires match winners.”

Last year, it was bowler Mohammad Nawaz who had emerged as the rising sensation of the tournament. He was soon drafted into the national side. This year, no such player seems to have grabbed an opportunity such as that yet.