'Allah is Watching': Imam-ul-Haq 'Disappointed' After Getting Dropped from New Zealand Series
Imam dropped from NZ tour [AP Photos]
On May 7, Pakistani opening batsman Imam Ul Haq took to his Twitter account to express his disappointment on being left out of the remainder of the home series against New Zealand. Imam was having an dream run in the series and looked in fine form with the bat.
In only three games, the 27 year old amassed over 180 runs at a staggering average of 60.3 with also featured his matching winning knock of 90 (107) where he took his side to an emphatic 3-0 series victory over the Black Caps.
Following the conclusion of the 3rd ODI, Imam opined that the Pakistan Cricket Team management must not tinker with their brittle middle and clearly advised against roping in Iftikhar Ahmed or Mohammad Haris as power-hitters during the middle overs.
He urged the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) to persist with Agha Salman, Shadab Khan and Mohammed Nawaz who have the capability to gradually grow in confidence once they start to get a few more games under their belt.
"To be honest I don't think so because we don't have time to do experiments," he said. "With Agha [Salman], Shadab [Khan], and [Mohammad] Nawaz, we have enough power-hitting to improvise. It's just a matter of giving them confidence. Their stats aren't as big as we have in the top three and it's tough for them because they get five to six overs but their chip-in is impactful and useful."
With the World Cup effectively a few months away, Imam's recommendation was fairly justified as he did not want the national side to lose the plot leading up to the World Cup. But in a surprising turn of events, PCB dropped him from the squad for the 4th and 5th ODI of the 5-match series against New Zealand. His controversial remarks did not sit well with the PCB think tank and they later came to a decision to axe him from the remainder of the series.
Imam, who was adjudged as the man of the match for his brilliant match winnings knock wasn't all that pleased with this decision and took to his social media handle to write
“Life is an unexpected journey so never expect anything from anyone”. Be patient, Allah is watching
While he continues to wait on the sidelines, Pakistan team will be counting on the top three featuring the likes of Fakhar Zaman, Imam Ul Haq and Babar Azam to do the bulk of the scoring and torment high quality bowling attacks.
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