'It definitely hurts a lot, but you can't stop' - Fawad Alam on being continuously overlooked by the selectors

It is tough for any cricketer to stay motivated after not being picked despite performing consistently for so many years in domestic cricket. Fawad Alam is a glaring example of it. Alam, who is one of the 12 batsmen with the highest average (56.57) in FC cricket (min- 10,000 runs), is continually focussed on doing what he does best- score runs and heaps of them season-after-season, and let the other things take care of themselves.

Rather he was expected to get picked in the Pakistan Test side for the recently concluded Australia tour. But Misbah-ul-Haq, the head coach-cum chief selector, surprisingly overlooked him. Fawad Alam’s experience could’ve come in handy Down Under where most of the Pakistan batsmen struggled.

Speaking to Shahid Afridi on his Youtube channel, Alam opened up on how he deals with the disappointment and what keeps him motivated. “Season has been good so far. In the last match, I became the second-fastest Pakistani after Haneef Mohammad to score 12000 First-Class runs. It’s a tough thing to swallow. When you are playing and performing consistently at the domestic level and still you don’t get the chance, it definitely hurts a lot,” he said.

It’s our bread butter, you can’t stop, says Fawad Alam

Fawad Alam is one of those who do not give up easily. They neither rest on their past laurels nor do they keep complaining about the uncontrollable. “But, you can’t stop! It’s our bread butter. If I keep lamenting why I wasn’t picked then I wouldn’t be able to perform as I am currently and will move down the pegging order.

“I take it as a challenge and motivate myself that it’s ok if I didn’t get a chance this year, I’ll perform again in the next season. And, it’s okay that I am not getting the chance to play for the country, my performances in domestic cricket are getting recognized at the world level, and I am very grateful for it,” the left-hander further added.

When asked about the quality of cricketers coming into the domestic system, Fawad Alam opined that while young cricketers are talented, they need to continuously evolve. He also called for patience from people who sensationalize a young cricketer on the basis of a few good performances and suggested that a player should be given at least two-three seasons before passing judgement on him.

“Cricketers need to consistently evolve in domestic cricket. People hail cricketers on the basis of one good season. They need to give at least three seasons to the young cricketers before passing judgement on their credentials. Everyone is visible in the swimming pool but few actually make their presence felt in an ocean,” Fawad added.