Jason Gillespie shields Imam-ul-Haq from trolls after latter’s laughing picture surfaced

Imam-ul-Haq had a rough time in the only Test he played versus Australia. After a poor show at The Gabba in Brisbane, Haris Sohail was dropped for the Day-Night Test at the Adelaide Oval. Imam replaced and southpaw and opened the batting along with Shan Masood. But the move to rope in Imam didn’t work put as the Lahore-born could only manage mere scores of 2 and 0.

In the first innings, Imam fell prey to Mitchell Starc, the leading wicket-taker of the series. After toiling hard for 16 balls, the left-hander got an edge and David Warner in the slip cordon took a simple catch. In the second innings, Imam was unable to make amends. Josh Hazlewood trapped him in front without allowing him to open his account. The game alike a nightmare for Imam.

Imam has had to face more heat now. A picture is doing the rounds on social media where Imam can be seen having a great time with Justin Langer, the head coach of the Australian cricket team. He can be seen laughing and the fans aren’t happy with the Pakistan batsman by any means.

Gillespie backs Imam-ul-Haq

Criticisms have been hurled at Imam and the netizens even went on to term him as ‘shameless’. Amidst all the brickbats, Jason Gillespie, the former Australian fast bowler, has shielded Imam against the trolls. The former bowler reckons that there isn’t anything wrong with Imam smiling. Gillespie found it heartening that Imam had a chat with Langer in a jolly mood.

He took to Twitter and wrote, “Incorrect- game was over. Players on a losing side are disappointed no doubt. I thought it was fantastic that young Imam Ul-Haq was spending time with Justin Langer talking about the game. I’m sure the conversation was very worthwhile for both Imam and Justin,”

Here is Gillespie’s reaction

Previously, Iceland Cricket also trolled Imam on his poor run of form. Imam has 485 runs in 11 Tests and the numbers are less than David Warner’s tally of 489 runs across two innings in the series. Following the twin failures, it remains to be seen if Imam gets picked for the home series versus Sri Lanka or not. The series gets underway on December 11.