"I should have won that match against Australia for Pakistan" : Imam-ul-Haq

[MenInG]

Imam-ul-Haq says Pakistan will go all out against Bangladesh on Friday even if they have no realistic chance of reaching the World Cup semi-finals.

Victory for New Zealand against England on Wednesday would leave the door open for Pakistan to seal a place in the last four if they win their final group match.

But a win for the tournament hosts would all but end the 1992 champions' chances of reaching the last four -- England would be out of reach on 12 points while New Zealand have a far-superior net run rate to Pakistan so would likely progress even if the two teams finished level on 11 points.

Imam said there was no despondency in the Pakistan camp despite the difficult situation.

"We are not thinking on the lines of not reaching semi-finals," said Imam. "Our plan is to play the semi-final with an all-out effort and at the end if that doesn't happen then we have to play positive cricket and end on a high."

Pakistan won just one of their first five World Cup matches but bounced back strongly with victories against South Africa, New Zealand and Afghanistan to give themselves a shot at reaching the semi-finals.

Imam said the 41-run defeat against defending champions Australia earlier in the competition was painful.

"I think the Australia defeat hurts me a lot. I was set and playing well. I should have won that match for Pakistan," said Imam.

"We lost four quick wickets and I think I should have won that game and we would have beaten a big team in the World Cup."

Imam, who scored his only fifty of the tournament in that match, said he was disappointed with his batting during the tournament.

"I think what expectations I had from myself I could not do like that," said Imam, who has so far scored 205 in seven innings. "I had starts but couldn't score big.

"I am very young so I have learned a lot in this World Cup. What mistakes I have committed, I have learned from them and I am sure that will help me," said the 23-year-old.

https://www.france24.com/en/20190703-imam-ul-haq-vows-no-world-cup-let-pakistan

 

[srh]

Earth to you: You are not a match winner.

 

[SM1989]

Yeah you should have. You should have also tried to lose to west indies respectably!

 

[sivanand82]

Good signs of pakistan,he showing maturity.He is the best choice for the captain.

 

[topspin]

One of the worst performers for Pakistan in this WC. Awful cricketer. I want him dropped from the team and replaced by Sharjeel.

Had a lot of patience for him but he's a tool.

 

[Hamza_]

Awful Batsman

 

[Shafi]

You need to be kicked out even from domestic.

 

[Shafi]

Good signs of pakistan,he showing maturity.He is the best choice for the captain.

Then we will play 2nd division ICC cricket tournament.

 

[Hawkeye]

Automatic selections don't do that.

 

[akkers]

Imam is not good enough yet to play on the world stage. You need to go back and correct your technique.

 

[Madplayer]

One of the culprits in this world cup for Pakistan. Rubbish performances by him.

 

[waheed_sofi]

If they had played haris in place of malik, he would have definitely won the match for Pakistan given that he had previously performed well them.

 

[Titan24]

To be honest he was really unlucky vs Australia, got out on the leg side edge towards keeper.

 

[Gullycricket]

He has been a let down in this WC.Had high hopes

 

[Usman Chadda]

You need to keep quiet and focus on your game.

Getting out to Vijay Shankar should make any half-decent international cricketer question himself.

 

[Green Patriot]

Lots of ifs and buts and should've and could've s.
Regardless we are out of this WC and no amount of dwelling in the past will help us.
One thing is for sure. Your 50 average wasnt of any help to us in this tournament and you are most certainly not an automatic selection.

 

[ali061091]

He opens his mouth too much and thinks too much of himself. When inzi is gone my prediction is that he will be out of the team within a year.

 

[Xoib]

Good comments someone like Hafeez still thinks he is god’s Gift to Pakistan

 

[PakLFC]

Our run rate is always poor. We don't understand the importance of such things at all. No point crying over spilt milk now of what we should have done or could have been. A bad start to the tournament will end our chances here. Look at the pace other opening pairs of India, Australia and England put runs on the board compared to our slow coaches.

 

[zee-za-man]

He opens his mouth too much and thinks too much of himself. When inzi is gone my prediction is that he will be out of the team within a year.

So you want to keep a club player in the national team rofl. Look where the world is going where will Bangladesh and Afghanistan be in one year.

If Imam remains with the team this team will be worse than the 2012 scenario where PCB could'nt find a single sponsor for the Pakistan team. Not one player playing with merit in the team and this nephew opener can't do basic stuff like square cut or driving the bowl on the off, gives up when a short bowl is coming towards his body.

Check the situation of this team NOT ONE star or player to look out for. This is our batting lineup, all products of nepotism and corruption

 

[Syed1]

Automatic selection also put us in a spot of bother against Afghans.... running down the pitch and missing it.


But its ok "I'm automatic selection with 55 average"

 

[mastersaan10]

people need to use their brain before opening their mouth. i don't like imam but he has done more than enough for pakistan as an opener. guy makes sure we are not 1 wicket down before 5 overs. name one more deserving opener than Imam?

I agree though that he needs to get a power game and rotate strike. but he is young so we can work with that. people need to look into the future. rohit sharma was averaging in the 20s for 80 games but look where he is now.

 

[hb787]

Good signs of pakistan,he showing maturity.He is the best choice for the captain.

Lmao. RIP Pak cricket if he becomes captain.

 

[Tapeballcricket]

I don't mind him as an opener, it's his brain F**ts that get me the most.

 

[ali061091]

Hello? I think what I was trying to say is that he is a mediocre player. They won't kick him out straightaway because they will be accused of nepotism, he will be out of the team within a year. More than his batting can't stand his attitude.

Anyway, his batting is not suited for ODI's or T20's.

 

[Pakpak]

He runs his mouth too much.

 

[zee-za-man]

people need to use their brain before opening their mouth. i don't like imam but he has done more than enough for pakistan as an opener. guy makes sure we are not 1 wicket down before 5 overs. .

)

Boys plaied wall

 

[Syed1]

He runs his mouth too much.

If only he rotated the strike with same frequency

 

[sharmaji]

I agree. Imam definitely has the hunger for runs, he will mature to be a good batsman. Give him time. India invested in Rohit for a frustratingly long time before he became what he is today.

people need to use their brain before opening their mouth. i don't like imam but he has done more than enough for pakistan as an opener. guy makes sure we are not 1 wicket down before 5 overs. name one more deserving opener than Imam?

I agree though that he needs to get a power game and rotate strike. but he is young so we can work with that. people need to look into the future. rohit sharma was averaging in the 20s for 80 games but look where he is now.

 

[aloo paratha]

Yeah you should have, and Hafeez should've as well. Getting out pulling a wide ball is unacceptable.

 

[zee-za-man]

I agree. Imam definitely has the hunger for runs, he will mature to be a good batsman. Give him time. India invested in Rohit for a frustratingly long time before he became what he is today.

Not only India, Imam has also invested in Rohit Sharma as a captain in Asia Cup. Remember how he dropped an easy catch off the bowling of Shaheen, Rohit scooped his slow delivery towards imam and the bottler could'nt hold onto it. Devastated Pakistan's effort lost us the game with his fielding and batting.

Indians should concentrate investing on Dhoni who needs it more than him.

 

[aloo paratha]

To be honest he was really unlucky vs Australia, got out on the leg side edge towards keeper.

No, that's just a poor shot. It's very surprising how much our players lack simple game awareness.

 

[ihsandar]

strange, we are criticizing imam ul haq as half decent batsman, but no one talking about fakar zaman with zero technique.

now every one know, Fakar Zaman can not play spin at all.
so , we should look for replacement of fakar zaman first.

now Pakistan is almost out of world cup, may be he will play good inning against Bangladesh, because of no pressure.

 

[Markhor]

Imam has thrown away too many starts in this WC but what cost us v Australia was our DISMAL new ball bowling on a damp, green tinged pitch.

Bar Amir, that was one of the worst seam bowling displays I've seen from ANY team. A competent seam attack would've bowled Australia out for <250.

How DUMB can you be bang it in short on a damp wicket on an overcast 10.30AM morning start at a tiny ground like Taunton ?!

 

[Xoib]

Imam has thrown away too many starts in this WC but what cost us v Australia was our DISMAL new ball bowling on a damp, green tinged pitch.

Bar Amir, that was one of the worst seam bowling displays I've seen from ANY team. A competent seam attack would've bowled Australia out for <250.

How DUMB can you be bang it in short on a damp wicket on an overcast 10.30AM morning start at a tiny ground like Taunton ?!

Hassan Ali is our biggest culprit this World Cup

 

[Kianig89]

You are right you should have won us that game your SR pf 67 imthis WC doesn't justify your position and if you had an.iota of $h@m3 you should not play an.international game before 2yrs pf grinding in domestic cricket

 

[JaDed]

Gets a lot of media attention, hmm feels like he is being prepped.
Surprising though its so much about media backing in SC..

 

[zee-za-man]

strange, we are criticizing imam ul haq as half decent batsman, but no one talking about fakar zaman with zero technique.

now every one know, Fakar Zaman can not play spin at all.
so , we should look for replacement of fakar zaman first.

now Pakistan is almost out of world cup, may be he will play good inning against Bangladesh, because of no pressure.

Fakhar Zaman Average with Azhar Ali - 50
Fakhar Zaman Average with Imam [since Asia Cup] - 30

I filtered the stat from Zimbabwe ODIs second string team was playing while the selected[12th ranked] refused to play because of pay issues.

Fakhar has been babysitting selector's nephew to play scoring shots while Imam can go slow and 'consolidate'. Seems Fakhar has not been able to carry this burden.

 

[The_KING]

Awful batsman. Where do we find these strokeless wonders?

 

[aloo paratha]

strange, we are criticizing imam ul haq as half decent batsman, but no one talking about fakar zaman with zero technique.

now every one know, Fakar Zaman can not play spin at all.
so , we should look for replacement of fakar zaman first.

now Pakistan is almost out of world cup, may be he will play good inning against Bangladesh, because of no pressure.

Fakhar has to make up for Imam's slow starts every innings. But yes Fakhar didn't play his best cricket in this World Cup either, but his starts were very important to the wins against England and South Africa. And we've seen how poorly we bat when he doesn't give us a start, such as against Australia and Afghanistan. He's very important to the team.

 

[HGhazanfar]

All talk nothing else - he would be lucky to be part of the team after the world cup with guys like Ahmed Shehzad, Sharjeel, Ahsan Ali, Zeeshan Malik waiitng

 

[hadi123]

Yeah you should have but you gave your wicket away playing a stupid shot.

 

[Ellipsism]

All talk nothing else - he would be lucky to be part of the team after the world cup with guys like Ahmed Shehzad, Sharjeel, Ahsan Ali, Zeeshan Malik waiitng

Ahmed Shehzad )

Shehzad isn’t fit to tie Imam’s shoe laces let alone compete for a batting spot with him.

 

[OmaIR1]

"I should have won that match?"

LOL, you didn't win us ANY match at all buddy! In the team strictly because of his uncle.

An Imran Farhat in the making.

 

[Zaz]

I like his attitude but He clearly has a lot of issues with his batting that need addressing technical issues as well as shot range and strike rate

Pakistan Needs to try one or two other options at the top cos at the moment imam isnt good enough

 

[Lonewarrior]

if inzy is gona out , can we get rid him off too ?

 

[Hasan123]

We need players to have this mentality of taking responsibility instead of blaming xyz. Good that he disappointed with his dismissal.

 

[sshakir411]

Should’ve would’ve could’ve...

 

[topspin]

Automatic selection also put us in a spot of bother against Afghans.... running down the pitch and missing it.


But its ok "I'm automatic selection with 55 average"

I've been very patience but he deserves all the stick he gets for this arrogant attitude. For me he was one of the worst performers for Pakistan, along with Hasan Ali and Shoaib Malik.

Fakhar wasn't great but at least his SR was nothing like Imam's sub-70 reading. I cannot wait when Inzy gets shown the door. At which point, Imam will be sweating for his place.

 

[Abdullah]

I like this guy more n more.
I am Babars biggest fan, but one thing he needs to show is some passion and emotion.
Imam has that passion. He is a solid opening bat for us

 

[Chief Destroyer]

I like this guy more n more.
I am Babars biggest fan, but one thing he needs to show is some passion and emotion.
Imam has that passion. He is a solid opening bat for us

Babar doesn't need to show any emotion. He just needs to keep winning us matches like he's been doing.

 

[Chief Destroyer]

Good attitude from Imam. He's hungry for success and takes on the challenge of taking the team home.

 

[Visaal-E-Yaar]

Failed investment number 59.

 

[JellyBro]

Pakistan fans are so pathetic. Pretty evident in this thread. All this hate for imam who is taking responsibility for his offbeat performance. What about fakhar and the entire middle order that collapsed in that game? Shouldn't they have send Pakistan through. But no, blame the young guy who barely started his career and is doing and excellent job with the bat.

 

[princeuk]

Im glad that at least he admits his fault, i dont see any other batsman in the side acknowledging their shortcomings, i respect this guy for saying so regardless of the fact whether people think he deserves to be in the team or not.

 

[Abdullah]

Babar doesn't need to show any emotion. He just needs to keep winning us matches like he's been doing.

To be the very very best you need ego/emotion too.
Imho

 

[Chief Destroyer]

To be the very very best you need ego/emotion too.
Imho

He has plenty of ego. Anyone that great does. Showboating doesn't make you win, runs do.

 

[BunnyRabbit]

Needs to stay away from mic for some time.
Acknowledge and Work on your weakness. The more you say, the more it's going to come back to bite you.

 

[The streak is Alive]

If you think about it, he is the only logical choice for captaincy post WC for Pakistan. Has had a great start to his career with 100s in Eng and SA. He could do to Pak what Graeme Smith did to SA after 2003 WC, imo.

Sharing a last name with former captains helps as well.

 

[AdamM97]

If you think about it, he is the only logical choice for captaincy post WC for Pakistan. Has had a great start to his career with 100s in Eng and SA. He could do to Pak what Graeme Smith did to SA after 2003 WC, imo.

Sharing a last name with former captains helps as well.

Sounds good until you realize that he's an average batsman whose international career is going to last 1-2 years at best if he doesn't improve. We need a captain that has the ability to lead from the front. The last thing we want is another Sarfraz Ahmad "captaincy specialist".

 

[Titan24]

He has plenty of ego. Anyone that great does. Showboating doesn't make you win, runs do.

Well said.

 

[junaidji]

people need to use their brain before opening their mouth. i don't like imam but he has done more than enough for pakistan as an opener. guy makes sure we are not 1 wicket down before 5 overs. name one more deserving opener than Imam?

I agree though that he needs to get a power game and rotate strike. but he is young so we can work with that. people need to look into the future. rohit sharma was averaging in the 20s for 80 games but look where he is now.

Sharjeel. People might not want him to represent Pakistan again, but he's already done his time and has been punished. If Australia can bring back Warner and Smith, why the double standards for Pakistan? He and Fakhar will give us quick starts that we desperately need, it's certainly high risk, but Imam's tuk-tuk puts pressure on Fakhar and Babar. Plus it's not like we have Brian Lara's in our domestic scene at the moment.

 

[Chokli]

I've been very patience but he deserves all the stick he gets for this arrogant attitude. For me he was one of the worst performers for Pakistan, along with Hasan Ali and Shoaib Malik.

Fakhar wasn't great but at least his SR was nothing like Imam's sub-70 reading. I cannot wait when Inzy gets shown the door. At which point, Imam will be sweating for his place.

Stroke rates are useless if you don't last long enough

 

[shariqnoor]

For the first time, I'm hearing a Pakistani batsmen beating himself up for not taking his team to victory. Imam seems to have a solid brain and realizes what needs to be done. I have high hopes from Imam.

Just needs to work a little bit on his strike rate now especially when he's between 25 and 50. In the first 6-7 overs he was magnificent in the world cup and exceeding Fakhar in strike rates. It's just that he got bogged down from 25 onwards which probably resulted in him getting impatient in the 40s.

Solid opener who definitely needs to be playing a lot.

 

[saeedhk]

Pathetic cricketer. He’s just making these modest statements because he knows modesty will earn praise from people. This is the same guy who said ‘ I’m an automatic selection’. He knows he might be kicked out after Inzi is sacked. So he’s trying to make a good public image.

 

[saeedhk]

Need Sharjeel.

 

[Abdullah]

He has plenty of ego. Anyone that great does. Showboating doesn't make you win, runs do.

He looks a little timid to me. I hope you are right though.
His career is ready for lift off though . The whole world is purring at the way he bats. Hope he can finish with a big one tomorrow and get upto 500 runs for the tournament

 

[Captain caveman]

Ahsan ali
Shajeel khan
Umar akmal

And pak choose imam ul haq!!!

 

[Captain caveman]

Imam and malik.are two of the worst players to ever play for pakistan!

 

[jnaveen1980]

Imam ul haq 2019 vs Inzi ul haq 2003

 

[Snatch]

lol Imam should've could've blah blah. You didn't, so your words now are cheap... best to shut up and work on improving your cricket skills.

 

[topspin]

Stroke rates are useless if you don't last long enough

Neither did Imam last long or bat at a good tempo, so for me he did no favours for the team.

Although Fakhar didn't have a good WC, he wasn't anywhere as bad because didn't waste deliveries.

I hope Sharjeel can make a comeback because he would be the ideal man to replace Imam.

You need to set higher standards than Imam, Misbah and Tamim Iqbal.

 

[Madplayer]

"I should have won that match?"

LOL, you didn't win us ANY match at all buddy! In the team strictly because of his uncle.

An Imran Farhat in the making.

Imran Farhat was actually talented if you leave aside nepotism for a moment. He qas a stroke maker. Imam is just a nudge and run player.

 

[Mehndi155]

Only if malik didnt played

 

[jnaveen1980]

"I" not "We" .

 

[Leeon1994]

They all should stick to modelling

 

[sivanand82]

Pakistan fans are so pathetic. Pretty evident in this thread. All this hate for imam who is taking responsibility for his offbeat performance. What about fakhar and the entire middle order that collapsed in that game? Shouldn't they have send Pakistan through. But no, blame the young guy who barely started his career and is doing and excellent job with the bat.

Top Post!

 

[Amjid Javed]

Good signs of pakistan,he showing maturity.He is the best choice for the captain.

Choice as captain? Hes not even worthy of a place in side in the current way ODI cricket is played

 

[Amjid Javed]

If you think about it, he is the only logical choice for captaincy post WC for Pakistan. Has had a great start to his career with 100s in Eng and SA. He could do to Pak what Graeme Smith did to SA after 2003 WC, imo.

Sharing a last name with former captains helps as well.

wow comparing Imam to graeme smith

Babar needs to be the pakistan ODI captain going forward.

 

[slice]

One of the worst performers for Pakistan in this WC. Awful cricketer. I want him dropped from the team and replaced by Sharjeel.

Had a lot of patience for him but he's a tool.

And what of Fakhar ?