Credit to Inzamam-ul-Haq for the emergence of the Pakistani youngsters

[Savak]

Hassan Ali
Shadab Khan
Usman Shinwari
Ruman Raees
Imam ul Haq
Faheem Ashraf
Fakher Zaman

The emergence of these players has been tremendous for Pakistan's ODI and T-20 fortunes. You have to give credit to Inzamam for backing these guys and for including them in the team.

The fact that no one is yearning for the recall of Umar Akmal and that Ahmed Shehzad is now a no body in the team goes to show how the bench strength has taken over.

 

[ExpressPacer]

Have to admit it, I was awfully wrong about him!

 

[darksher]

Credit should also be given to these players for grabbing the chances and solidifying their spots in side with consistent performances. However, I agree Inzi the revolutionary's role can't be overlooked.

 

[Rana]

Keep watching. Once a legend, always a legend. He will bring more players

 

[Rana]

Inzi still owes us a couple of hard hitting Batsmen in the t20 team I recon

 

[Markhor]

Some folks will have you believe Inzamam has nothing to do with the good selections but should cop all the criticism for the bad selections.

Not saying he hasn't made mistakes, I'd have preferred to see Imam-ul-Haq in Tests and Umar Amin in ODI instead of ODIs and T20s. Shan Masood should be excluded. But he's been infinitely superior to the likes of Iqbal Qasim, Wasim Bari and Haroon Rasheed in injecting young blood.

The consistency in selection is welcome too - he could've easily dropped Umar Amin after not playing the WXI series but he was retained for Sri Lanka where he got an opportunity. Usman Salahuddin didn't play in the Caribbean but, instead of dropping him, was retained in the Test squad to continue to work with the national team coaches.

He has also rewarded domestic performances by selecting Mohammad Abbas who has toiled away for years. Inzamam said he wanted to groom pace bowling ARs and kept his word by selecting Aamer Yamin and Fahim Ashraf.

The A team has been used really well too - that's when Shadab Khan announced himself by performing against a nearly full strength Zimbabwe side.

He needs now to find a couple of powerhitting batsmen for LOIs and another good spinner to ease the workload of Yasir Shah.

 

[wasimjunior]

Inzy and Micky deserve a big fat raise.

Yes the psl has found these guys and and pressured tbe management to pick them but they could have easily persisted with your anwar Alis and your umar akmals.

The selection of faheem and imam has been tbe biggest master stroke as they are non psl players.

Amazing. So proud

 

[IAJ]

Inzi bhai can sit back a d enjoy his biriyanis now (doubt he ever stopped doing that though)

 

[wasimjunior]

Some folks will have you believe Inzamam has nothing to do with the good selections but should cop all the criticism for the bad selections.

Not saying he hasn't made mistakes, I'd have preferred to see Imam-ul-Haq in Tests and Umar Amin in ODI instead of ODIs and T20s. Shan Masood should be excluded. But he's been infinitely superior to the likes of Iqbal Qasim, Wasim Bari and Haroon Rasheed in injecting young blood.

The consistency in selection is welcome too - he could've easily dropped Umar Amin after not playing the WXI series but he was retained for Sri Lanka where he got an opportunity. Usman Salahuddin didn't play in the Caribbean but, instead of dropping him, was retained in the Test squad to continue to work with the national team coaches.

He has also rewarded domestic performances by selecting Mohammad Abbas who has toiled away for years. Inzamam said he wanted to groom pace bowling ARs and kept his word by selecting Aamer Yamin and Fahim Ashraf.

The A team has been used really well too - that's when Shadab Khan announced himself by performing against a nearly full strength Zimbabwe side.

He needs now to find a couple of powerhitting batsmen for LOIs and another good spinner to ease the workload of Yasir Shah.

Superb post and agree on the spinner part. Hopefully asghar gets his chance

 

[SarfiBabarHaris]

Inzamam is slightly better than previous selectors... He can do much better with the talent pool we have...

Secondly if i remember correctly Inzi was heavily criticized for his selections in champions trophy and WI series if I am not wrong.. I dont remember many praising him for the squad.. A squad with Kamran, Hafeez, Malik, Shehzad, azhar deserved criticism too..

Coming on youngsters, If I have to give credit to someone, it will be the players themselves and then team management especially Sarfraz and Mickey for getting the best out of these players and providing them a great environment..

Lastly, Inzi should be applauded as he and his team have better eye of talent for batsmen (included Haris in u-23 tournament, Saud in A team, and Usman in national team) and atleast some of Inzi's selections are consistent domestic performers.

 

[Hasan123]

He deserves credit for selecting Faheem,Shadab,Babar,and Hasan. Credit to Inzi. Hopefully no more selections like Shan Masood.

 

[Syed1]

Well done Inzi... some of his decisions haven't been half bad.

 

[Red Devil]

Me and [MENTION=46929]shaz619[/MENTION] have always backed him. One of the best selectors we've ever had.

 

[Bilal7]

Well, well... Looks like Inzamam is finally getting the applause he so richly deserves.

What did you guys expect? He's a legendary batsman and one of our finest captains and he did really well as the coach of Afghanistan too. This guy clearly has an eye for talent, no doubt he learnt a thing or two from his own mentor, Imran Khan.

People had an issue with him selecting Kamran, Shehzad, Masood, etc but they forget that these guys earned the chances they got and unlike our previous selectors, Inzi is not in this for himself, he's there because he wants to contribute to Pakistan's success.

The bigots had issues with his religiosity but he's left them all red-faced and I am quite happy for the big man.

Best Chief Selector we have ever had. I hope the PCB learns from this and starts giving contracts to more of our former players and captains. Wasim, Saqlain, Yousuf and even the likes of Afridi, Younis and Misbah in a few years time, can all play a part in Pakistan's continued success.

 

[Abdullah719]

Well, well... Looks like Inzamam is finally getting the applause he so richly deserves.

What did you guys expect? He's a legendary batsman and one of our finest captains and he did really well as the coach of Afghanistan too. This guy clearly has an eye for talent, no doubt he learnt a thing or two from his own mentor, Imran Khan.

People had an issue with him selecting Kamran, Shehzad, Masood, etc but they forget that these guys earned the chances they got and unlike our previous selectors, Inzi is not in this for himself, he's there because he wants to contribute to Pakistan's success.

The bigots had issues with his religiosity but he's left them all red-faced and I am quite happy for the big man.

Best Chief Selector we have ever had. I hope the PCB learns from this and starts giving contracts to more of our former players and captains. Wasim, Saqlain, Yousuf and even the likes of Afridi, Younis and Misbah in a few years time, can all play a part in Pakistan's continued success.

I agree with everything you said except for the part about Shan Masood earning chances.

 

[Bilal7]

Inzamam is slightly better than previous selectors... He can do much better with the talent pool we have...

Secondly if i remember correctly Inzi was heavily criticized for his selections in champions trophy and WI series if I am not wrong.. I dont remember many praising him for the squad.. A squad with Kamran, Hafeez, Malik, Shehzad, azhar deserved criticism too..

Coming on youngsters, If I have to give credit to someone, it will be the players themselves and then team management especially Sarfraz and Mickey for getting the best out of these players and providing them a great environment..

Lastly, Inzi should be applauded as he and his team have better eye of talent for batsmen (included Haris in u-23 tournament, Saud in A team, and Usman in national team) and atleast some of Inzi's selections are consistent domestic performers.

Sarfaraz would never have become captain if Inzamam had not supported him. Hafeez or Malik would have gotten the job instead.

 

[Bilal7]

I agree with everything you said except for the part about Shan Masood earning chances.

Fair enough. Although he did play a fantastic innings under pressure in Sri Lanka to win us a test series and it's always best to give a player too many chances than too few.

 

[SarfiBabarHaris]

Sarfaraz would never have become captain if Inzamam had not supported him.

That is true! One thing good about Inzamam is he doesn't mix looks, English and 'ambassor press conferences' with leadership ability..

 

[kingusama92]

He's ten times better than previous chief selectors.

 

[Haz95]

He's not amazing but he's the best of a mediocre bunch for grooming some talents like Fahim Ashraf. However the best Pakistani players all are there due to PSL and media/fans basically pushing for the top performers (who fortunately happened to be actual youngsters).

 

[New Yorker]

How about credit to the youngsters? Really, did Inzi make them emerge?

 

[kingusama92]

How about credit to the youngsters? Really, did Inzi make them emerge?

True but then one can say the same about poor selections.

Did Inzi make them fail?

Chief selectors/coaches get a lot of heat after failures. It's only fair to direct praise in their direction when they get things right.

 

[ads101]

True but then one can say the same about poor selections.

Did Inzi make them fail?

Chief selectors/coaches get a lot of heat after failures. It's only fair to direct praise in their direction when they get things right.

Inzi's arguably done a better job than the coach in his discipline despite people lauding the coach far more. The squads each time were very good, most fans agreed with them. The new talent added to the squad did well despite people's fears e.g. Imam, Fakhar, Fahim, Shadab, Junaid etc.

Mickey on the other hand made several mistakes. We lost 2-0 to sri lanka in the test series due to not picking a second spinner. Inzi included both Ashgar and Bilal to choose from to partner. And Mickey chose neither. Honestly one of the worst decisions I've seen, and I can't believe he did it twice in a row.

Again Mickey chose to play Shehzad a number of times when there were better options in the squad.

I don't see what Inzi has done wrong, he's picked the right squads full of talents which have actually turned out to perform at international level. I think Mickey's done well, and Azhar especially has done a very good job with the fast bowlers. But yeah I agree got to give credit where it's due, I had my doubts on Inzi as a selector but I don't see where he's gone wrong.

 

[IMMY69]

I think Inzy is doing a sterling job so far but his life has been made easier with the instroduction of PSL.

So many of the youngsters selected now were discovered on the TV set. You have to ask yourself whether these players would have been selected had it not been for the PSL..

 

[khurram39]

We are still in developing phase. We had problem in past a player came and scored runs then flop and gone away.
Our opening is still a big problem and our keeper needs to score runs too as long as he is winning the matches no one point out but it will burst out when you start loosing.
Need of a finisher is still not fulfilled.
Our bowling line up is very much filled.

 

[Khan12]

It's his job selecting a good team. Don't need to give him any credit for that. I not like he picked these guys out of nowhere. Pretty much all of them deserved to be selected on merit alone.

 

[UN talkz]

I think Inzy is doing a sterling job so far but his life has been made easier with the instroduction of PSL.

So many of the youngsters selected now were discovered on the TV set. You have to ask yourself whether these players would have been selected had it not been for the PSL..

Yes....
Fahim Ashraf
Aamer Yamin
Umar Amin
Mohammad Abbas
Imam-ul-Haq


I don't think these guys have ever played in PSL

 

[IMMY69]

Yes....
Fahim Ashraf
Aamer Yamin
Umar Amin
Mohammad Abbas
Imam-ul-Haq


I don't think these guys have ever played in PSL

why let a small thing like a "Fact" get in the way of a point

 

[UN talkz]

why let a small thing like a "Fact" get in the way of a point

Look i will be happy of he selects players based on their performance in PSL.... But i would be HAPPIEST if he selects players bcz of their domestic performance.....
Till now inzy is selecting players based on talent and capability... he like others is also ignoring best domestic performers, although not to the extent previous selectors used to...

 

[fawad_wellwisher]

Test cricket is still the format to judge the performance of not only players but also coaches and selectors.

Losing 0-2 to a team such as Sri Lanka tells me the a lot of thought did not go into selecting players who are most suited to playing test cricket. We are still carrying and lot of dead wood in our test team. Players like Shan, Asad, and Wahab should not be anywhere close to the team.


If Inzi wants a legacy, he should think twice and carefully before selecting the next test team. As for the shorter formats, the jury is still out. Let the team perform against the top 3 sides first before giving credit to the chief selector.

 

[IMMY69]

Look i will be happy of he selects players based on their performance in PSL.... But i would be HAPPIEST if he selects players bcz of their domestic performance.....
Till now inzy is selecting players based on talent and capability... he like others is also ignoring best domestic performers, although not to the extent previous selectors used to...

The problem I see here is that it is extremely difficult to judge a player on how they perform in first class cricket.
The system is too flawed, you have bad wickets and far too many first class cricketers mainly picked based on who they know rather then how good they actually are. This is even more so for bowlers as the wickets are so bad.

Until and unless the first class system is fixed I think the best option would be to keep an eye out on the PSL.
At least with the PSL we all get to see how they play on generally good wickets and against some international players.

 

[htariq25]

In limited overs our team is world class thank to Mickey and inzi. However, mustn't forget we lost 2-0 in a home test series to a deflated srilankan side. It was only weeks ago that pp was calling for Mickey and inzi to be sacked. Both deserve a lot of credit and shouldn't be sacked bcos that would be stupid but for especially inzi to win me over he must drop that tailender masood and also drop the likes of Abbas and tbh even aslam hasn't impressed me much. If inzi selects imam for the next test series and Mickey puts azhar back to opening then I will be fully convinced that inzi and Mickey deserve immense credit. ATM they have both done a fine job though so hats off to both of them and especially as this thread is about inzi hats off to him for sticking with his good selections.

 

[ask_analyse_act]

best chief selector in a decade.. few selections are terrible and not on merit but he maintained consistency in selections which is the key that no previous selectors had...

 

[cricketAXEpert]

Credit to PSL, Apart from Imam ul Haq which is direct selection made by Inzamam.

 

[CricketingMinds]

Do folks on PP understand the concept of TEAMWORK even when it comes to off-field decisions such as team selection?

Credit should be given to Inzi for sure but also to: PSL (for unearthing Shadab, Fakhar, Hassan Ali) and Mickey & Sarfaraz for giving chances to youngsters & persisting with them, believing in them.

Remember nobody is perfect, but Inzi is definitely 100x better than his predecessors.

On one hand his positives:
+ Abbas
+ Harris Sohail
+ Salahuddin
+ Hassan
+ Fakhar
+ Shadab
+ Faheem
+ Shinwari
+ Rumaan


On the other a few blunders (but that's possible - no body is perfect):
- Kamran (but he was the MoTS for PSL)
- Shahzad (he scored heavily in PSL)
- Persisting with Wahab (unfortunately, he is the fastest bowler we have - with no brains though)
- Ignoring Fawad Alam (no idea why)


A few decisions that are yet to be considered as + or -:

+/- Imam-ul-Haq (too early)
+/- Umar Amin (just 1 innings on comeback)


The biggest impact has been due to the new Culture of Fitness ingrained by Mickey & credit to him & his staff (Luden, Rixon, Azhar Mahmood, etc.) and also to Sarfaraz & Inzi for buying into that culture.

I truly believe that without the fitness that these youngsters have these guys would not be able to produce the performance (Hassan's 5-fers, everyone's taking great catches, multiple runouts, Babar's 100s) today.

So a round of applause to everyone:
Inzi, Mickey & co., Sarfaraz, All players, PSL and PCB.

 

[pkwdpassion]

IT is PSL, Mickey Arthur & Sarfraz only who deserve credit with very few exceptions like selector Tauseef for Faheem Ashraf and Wasti for Usman Shinwari.

If it was not PSL [Javed Afridi/Rana Fawad/Salman Iqbal ARY] Shadab Khan , Hasan Ali, Sharjeel, Fakhar would never be selected in the Pakistan team

if Inzamam had his way tainted Salman Butt and one of the Akmals would be in the team with the baraat of seniors Selfie, Hafeez and Malik.

Inzamam sent a well-connected/bloated Umar Akmal to Champions Trophy, if it was not for Mickey Arthur, many former leeches would be in the team destroying the team environment with their petty politics and groupism, what they're doing for years.

A batsman himself, Inzamam's top order selections have been a subject of concern. Misbah's favored Iftikhar Ahmed, Akmal cousin Babar 'selfish' Azam, nephew(with 36 average) Imam ul Haq, alongwith comeback debutants Ahmed Shehzad and Shan Masood.
i'm sure
If Pakistan team had failed in the Champions Trophy, Inzamam would've used his clout to put Arthur under pressure to bend on his will and take tried-and-tested-and tainted players saying to the press 'these playars have experiyence'.

The way Inzi selected his nephew as the only opener knowing fully well Shehzad's failings is the only masterstroke of his as a selector. Then again did not select a single opener for T20 series put a middle order Umar Amin as the 16th player, giving selfie Shehzad more games, to bring his nephew into the t20 side also.
One should give credit to Inzamam to push his family and friends into the team and keeping performers like Fawad Alam, Sahibzada Farhan, Mir Hamza away from the side.

Haris Sohail presence on the bench is also due to the insistence of team management [Arthur-Sarfraz] not the selectors or else HArris would've been removed like Asif Zakir ithout getting a agame.

 

[Bilal7]

Funny how people say the credit goes to the PSL but then blame Inzi for selecting Kamran and Shehzad.

 

[hadi123]

Ashraf and Shadab Khan to the rescue today.

 

[Hasan123]

Credit to Inzi for selecting Faheem. I didn't know a lot about him and his numbers in domestic cricket were not the best but Inzi still selected . One of his better selections.

 

[Abdul]

Credit goes to the PSL.

 

[Abdul]

We can appreciate Inzamam for selecting Saad and Usman.

 

[shaz619]

Big up to Big Inzi

 

[Boi]

On the whole he's been fairly consistent in his selection which is the biggest thing when wanting to give new players a chance. In the past selectors did pick young talent but hardly kept them in the side beyond a series or two if they didn't get to play much, which was criminal.

 

[ArsenalFC]

PP is a funny place when you have the same fans wanting his sacking last year but now giving him all the credit. Fact of the matter is without PSL (which does the job for him), he would have no idea or perhaps done worse than the average selector because when he was captain he wasn't a tactical genius by any stretch, he only knew one way and that was being defensive. Luckily for him he had the likes of Akhtar, Asif and etc to alleviate his tactical shortcomings.

But what is fundamental during stint as skipper is the fact that he must have set some record for the lack of uncapped and young players been given chances in the team. I still remember how the likes of Aizaz Cheema who had everything required as a skilful quick but never got the chance to debut for Pakistan at his peak. Even when he was creaking on his last legs he was still good enough to play for Pakistan for a year or so.

Ever since his captaincy his approach hasn't changed he has always given preferences to familiar names like Shehzad or even if it means testifying an unfit and overweight Umar Akmal as the contrary.

Giving excessive undue credit to Inzi is a disservice to Mickey and Sarfraz.

 

[El Generico]

Credit goes to the PSL.

Faheem was selected in the international team by Inzimam even though he hadn't even played a single game of PSL.

PSL made his job easier but still some credit does go to him. Other selectors would have picked Akmal and Riaz based on PSL performance instead of the younger guys we see now.

 

[babajee]

We’ve got so many youngsters with the potential to be world class:

Hasan (already is tbh)
Shadab
Fakhar
Babar
Faheem
Talat
Shaheen

 

[coy0607]

while Inzi has generally been a fantastic selector, I wouldn't give him all the credit for the 'emergence of the young core'

That honour goes to the PSL

 

[Prince of Pakistan]

And he will be the worst after England tests. And all those who thought Fawad Alam would have done wonders against Anderson, Broad will be back.

That is how it works on PP. Just wait and see.

 

[Abdullah]

And he will be the worst after England tests. And all those who thought Fawad Alam would have done wonders against Anderson, Broad will be back.

That is how it works on PP. Just wait and see.

You are right lol but I for 1 will not get on the teams back.
Touring England first time around is not easy ( and being late spring makes it worse) so we shouldn't go too hard if things don't work out.
Only Amir and azhar have experienced pre July test cricket in England in this whole squad . Shafiq rahat and sarf are the only others to have played tests in England so this is a tough tour for a young squad no doubt

 

[Corridor of Uncertainty]

while Inzi has generally been a fantastic selector, I wouldn't give him all the credit for the 'emergence of the young core'

That honour goes to the PSL

I'd think Najam might have played a small hand in PSL too!

 

[Rathore]

his selection was spot on apart from rahat. proving to be the best selector we ever had. someone has to ask qadir about the team performance so far!