"I want to be recognised and accepted as Imam-ul-Haq first and then Inzamam's nephew after that"

[shaaik]

"I want to be recognised and accepted as Imam-ul-Haq first and then Inzamam's nephew after that"

Imam-ul-Haq speaking to the media :

"It would be great if we can also win the Asia Cup but it wont be about winning it for the PM Imran Khan but it will allow our nation which loves cricket to celebrate"

"We are looking at each match and opponent and preparing for that game and not only worrying about India"

"All matches are same for me whether its Hong Kong or India; my pressure levels will be the same in all games"

"India is a very good team but the absence of Virat Kohli will make a difference"

"We just want to play aggressive cricket which is how we have been taught and the performances since Champions Trophy are examples of that"

"There is no psychological advantage from any past games when it comes to India Pakistan games"

"You have to really control your nerves in India Pakistan games as things can easily go against you in such matches"

"We haven't discussed anything about whether we will bowl or bat first as that is decided by coach and captain"

"You can say that we have an advantage in UAE as we have been playing here for a long time but the wickets here are similar to what you find in India and Bangladesh"

"All teams such as Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, Afghanistan have good youngsters and there can be upsets in this tournament"

"The Asia Cup is not only about India and Pakistan as other teams can also make a difference and this is good preparation for the 2019 World Cup"

"No advice from my uncle as he doesn't talk that much about cricket especially when it comes to me"

"I like to thank the management in the way they have treated me so well "

"My uncle just tells me to enjoy myself in cricket"

"We haven't seen the wicket yet but we will see it before the game"

"Let me be clear about this, I want to be recognised and accepted as Imam-ul-Haq first and then Inzamam's nephew after that, and yes he is my uncle and it's not my fault"

"There is a lot of pressure on me especially from Pakistan media and sometimes I have to tolerate them too"

"I have 4 hundreds in 9 ODIs and credit goes to my family for their support, to the management as they have also supported me, so what the media says has never mattered to me"

 

[MenInG]

Imam done well so far in ODIs but same cannot be said for some journos who were asking inane questions.

 

[Syed1]

Imam done well so far in ODIs but same cannot be said for some journos who were asking inane questions.

I can't even imagine what kind of garbage question it would have been that needed this response

"It would be great if we can also win the Asia Cup but it wont be about winning it for the PM Imran Khan but it will allow our nation which loves cricket to celebrate"



So journo sahab probably said would you win Asia Cup for PM IK, mashallah at our journalistic standards

 

[the Great Khan]

an Indian journo asked if he slept as much as Inzi slept (because you know lately they think taking the mickey out of our past legends is a done thing, while ignoring their shooperishtaars getting a phainty from kiddies like Curran) and his answer was why do you want to sleep with him?

I mean stupid idiotic questions!!

 

[pakistanigoneaussie]

I hope he improves, but despite his brillant start there will be a brutal reality check coming his way in odis if he doesnt change. You cant be waddling around at a strike rate of 70 for the majority of your innings

 

[srh]

the reality is that he was first selected in the team because he is nephew of Inzimam.

 

[MenInG]

the reality is that he was first selected in the team because he is nephew of Inzimam.

That is not the reality - that is your perception.

 

[MenInG]

<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-partner="tweetdeck"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">Reporter "Your uncle Inzamam-ul-Haq used to sleep a lot, do you also like to sleep a lot like him?”<br><br>Imam-ul-Haq "how do you know that, have you slept with him?"<a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/Cricket?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#Cricket</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/AsiaCup2018?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#AsiaCup2018</a></p>— Saj Sadiq (@Saj_PakPassion) <a href="https://twitter.com/Saj_PakPassion/status/1040278505395838977?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">September 13, 2018</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

 

[Slim]

<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-partner="tweetdeck"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">Reporter "Your uncle Inzamam-ul-Haq used to sleep a lot, do you also like to sleep a lot like him?”<br><br>Imam-ul-Haq "how do you know that, have you slept with him?"<a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/Cricket?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#Cricket</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/AsiaCup2018?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#AsiaCup2018</a></p>— Saj Sadiq (@Saj_PakPassion) <a href="https://twitter.com/Saj_PakPassion/status/1040278505395838977?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">September 13, 2018</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

Hahaha destroyed. Such rubbish journalists deserve such answers. More of this please.

 

[Mamoon]

He may have been selected on nepotistic grounds, but so far, he has performed better than a meritorious player (in his stead) would have.

I fully support nepotism as long as the right person gets the job. Merit means nothing when you are not good enough. A lot of good players are lost in the system due to multiple reasons, and if they use their connections to get the opportunity that they deserve, there is nothing wrong with it.

I don't know if Imam will get a reality check in the future or not, but so far he has not put a foot wrong. He has made a brilliant start to his international career and Inzamam has been justified in giving him an opportunity.

 

[TeamPak95]

Ignoring our genius journalists, let's just hope that Imam continues to score heavy and that too against better opposition. First challenge: India.

 

[adil_909]

I fully support nepotism as long as the right person gets the job. Merit means nothing when you are not good enough. A lot of good players are lost in the system due to multiple reasons, and if they use their connections to get the opportunity that they deserve, there is nothing wrong with it.

Everything that is wrong with Pakistan in one single quote. Great work!

 

[Syed1]

Today I learned something new "merit means nothing when you are not good enough"


But then I searched the meaning of merit and this came up:






Don't know whether to believe PP description of merit or actual description.

 

[Cric1234]

He may have been selected on nepotistic grounds, but so far, he has performed better than a meritorious player (in his stead) would have.

I fully support nepotism as long as the right person gets the job. Merit means nothing when you are not good enough. A lot of good players are lost in the system due to multiple reasons, and if they use their connections to get the opportunity that they deserve, there is nothing wrong with it.

I don't know if Imam will get a reality check in the future or not, but so far he has not put a foot wrong. He has made a brilliant start to his international career and Inzamam has been justified in giving him an opportunity.

A reality check is coming soon scoring 3 hundreds against Zimbabwe will give him another 10-15 matches but he took his chance in the last series well no doubt about it.

 

[Third Man]

Today I learned something new "merit means nothing when you are not good enough"


But then I searched the meaning of merit and this came up:
View attachment 83813





Don't know whether to believe PP description of merit or actual description.

Like Asad Shafiq in ODI's, for example? That was a meritorious selection, wasn't it? You know what Mamoon meant here but just couldn't help it.

 

[Mamoon]

Today I learned something new "merit means nothing when you are not good enough"


But then I searched the meaning of merit and this came up:
View attachment 83813





Don't know whether to believe PP description of merit or actual description.

That is academic. In the context of cricket, what is merit?

You don't know if a player is good enough or not unless you give him a chance. A meritorious selection would be a player with the best domestic statistics. However, as we have seen before, that does not always translate into success at the international level.

It is about picking the right player, and that is why you have selectors. If players are to be picked based on domestic averages alone, you do not need to play millions to selectors - a mere computer software can also do that job by sorting averages.

If Inzamam believes that Imam has what it takes to do well in international cricket, there is nothing in wrong in giving him a chance.

 

[zeusathon]

If he can play faster and be consistent at the same time then why not.

 

[Mamoon]

Everything that is wrong with Pakistan in one single quote. Great work!

The biggest problem is the wrong person getting the job, and that happens both in nepotism and merit. Yes the chances of that happening are higher in nepotism, but if you are picking candidates (or players in this context) purely on merit, plenty of bad eggs will also come through due to a rotten system.

The only thing that matters is whether you are doing a good job or not, not if you have been selected on merit or nepotism.

Plenty of merit selections have turned out to be disasters for Pakistan, and nepotism has actually worked for Pakistan cricket in the past.

 

[ManFan]

The biggest problem is the wrong person getting the job, and that happens both in nepotism and merit. Yes the chances of that happening are higher in nepotism, but if you are picking candidates (or players in this context) purely on merit, plenty of bad eggs will also come through due to a rotten system.

The only thing that matters is whether you are doing a good job or not, not if you have been selected on merit or nepotism.

Plenty of merit selections have turned out to be disasters for Pakistan, and nepotism has actually worked for Pakistan cricket in the past.

Results are temporary but the system is permanently bound.

Therefore, merit must override nepotism to ensure a system has less discrepancies than otherwise.

 

[DRsohail]

i will see your recognition as imam after you face india and aus in odi.

 

[Major]

That is not the reality - that is your perception.

it is the reality.

Fact is, had he not been Inzi's nephew he wouldn't had been selected this quickly.

Guys like Azhar ALi has done nothing wrong to be dropped, and Imam was quite down on the pecking order.

Whether people like to hear this or not, there was the Inzi influence. Same goes for Shan Masoods intial selection.

Being selected on influence or sifarish isn't a bad thing is my view. It happens everywhere, but the thing is if one keeps on getting selected on poor performances, then its a concern

 

[ManFan]

it is the reality.

Fact is, had he not been Inzi's nephew he wouldn't had been selected this quickly.

Guys like Azhar ALi has done nothing wrong to be dropped, and Imam was quite down on the pecking order.

Whether people like to hear this or not, there was the Inzi influence. Same goes for Shan Masoods intial selection.

Being selected on influence or sifarish isn't a bad thing is my view. It happens everywhere, but the thing is if one keeps on getting selected on poor performances, then its a concern

Azhar Ali bombed in NZ and hadn't scored a century in ODI's since October 2016.

Imam debuted after Ahmed Shehzad had a horrid time against SL and scored a hundred on debut followed by three more hundreds in just nine matches.

Shan Masood just had the most prolific season in List A history.

 

[Major]

Everything that is wrong with Pakistan in one single quote. Great work!

He may have been selected on nepotistic grounds, but so far, he has performed better than a meritorious player (in his stead) would have.

I fully support nepotism as long as the right person gets the job. Merit means nothing when you are not good enough. A lot of good players are lost in the system due to multiple reasons, and if they use their connections to get the opportunity that they deserve, there is nothing wrong with it.

I don't know if Imam will get a reality check in the future or not, but so far he has not put a foot wrong. He has made a brilliant start to his international career and Inzamam has been justified in giving him an opportunity.

Mamoon isn't wrong.

In Organization theories, networking has become part of ones potential growth.

Thing is, people complaining about nepotism or sifarish culture on the internet are following the traditional methods.

AS for modern methods, networking is part of our life.

To get better deals and all, you need to to have good networking, and this is very hard to accept for some of us. Hardwork doesn't always pay off. You need to have a good contacts to get promotions, even in sports

Yes, Imam had Inzi, but other players need to socialize with the right people to get selection

If you guys analyze our cricket properly, every player has reached to Pakistan level due to some level of networking or reference.

 

[MMHS]

The biggest problem is the wrong person getting the job, and that happens both in nepotism and merit. Yes the chances of that happening are higher in nepotism, but if you are picking candidates (or players in this context) purely on merit, plenty of bad eggs will also come through due to a rotten system.

The only thing that matters is whether you are doing a good job or not, not if you have been selected on merit or nepotism.

Plenty of merit selections have turned out to be disasters for Pakistan, and nepotism has actually worked for Pakistan cricket in the past.

It's a bit self contradictory - if a person qualifies on merit or is selected on merit, then the question of nepotism is redundant. Nepotism is only applicable, when someone is facilitated somehow, for which he isn't qualified enough or there are better options available. In that regard, you can't say that nepotism has worked, because at first place the guy should have been selected on his merit it self. You can say that, sometimes better candidates had to back on relationship for their chances - but that's system failure, not that nepotism worked.

In Imam's case, good luck to the boy, and he has put numbers against SRL & ZIM. BUT, his selection is biased, tactfully done to create a vacuum and this will cost PAK one day, because this was nepotism.

First, above 3/4 candidates, no way this kid should have got the chance in squad - they picked him as opener and made sure that he gets games. To his credit, he has cashed on, so fair enough, but as I say, PAK will face nemesis for this one.

I give straight names for this - no way, Imam should have been picked ahead of Saud, who is senior by one U19 WC, better performer in every aspect, was invested through A team (& did well there), and he can bowl a bit as well. And, if I consider how both looks as a batsman while batting beyond stats - absolutely no comparison. If you look at their over all domestic stats,

Saud - FC (25 games): avg/sr 47/49, 100-6, 50-12; 12 wickets at 48. List A (44): a/s 50/85, 100-2, 50-12; 20 wickets @ 42

Imam (including Internationals) - FC (39 games): avg/sr 36/44, 4/12, 1 wicket. List A (37): a/s 40/78, 5/6; 1 wicket.

These figures are misleading, because Imam's stats are inclusive of Internationals and he was lucky to face Post Mughabe ZIM. This is his International stats,
Test (3): 34/51, 0/1, 0 wickets. ODI (9), 68/88, 4/0, zero wicket.

SO<> if I take out internationals from Imam's stats - BASICALLY at the point when Ul Haq picked his nephew for the imaginary vacuum in opening spot from no where, this was his stats

FC (36): 36/44; 4/11, 1 wicket. List A (28): 32/72, 1/6, zero wicket.


I still give a bod to Ul Haq, imandar admi - we should look at the contemporary stats - lets take 2017-18 domestic season, which started before SRL series, FC completed before NZ tour and season completed well before UK/ZIM tour.

Saud: FC: 7 games, 488 runs at 38/51, 1/4; 6 wickets @ 32. List A: 15 games, 722 runs @ 66 average, 1/5 and as usual PCB's data has SR for FC game but not for List A; 13 wickets @ 25

Imam: FC - 5 games, 222 runs at 28, no wicket, 1/0. List A: 4 games, 40 runs at 10 average, 0/0 and didn't bowl.

Nothing against the kid & I wish him success, but he is the best specimen of nepotism in PAK cricket.

I am a fan of Ul Haq as a player, but ..... It's fortunate for PKC that, Arthur is there for some check & balance, otherwise this guy'll start searching in his neighbors & mohallam to find cricketers for PAK team.

 

[Cric1234]

Mamoon isn't wrong.

In Organization theories, networking has become part of ones potential growth.

Thing is, people complaining about nepotism or sifarish culture on the internet are following the traditional methods.

AS for modern methods, networking is part of our life.

To get better deals and all, you need to to have good networking, and this is very hard to accept for some of us. Hardwork doesn't always pay off. You need to have a good contacts to get promotions, even in sports

Yes, Imam had Inzi, but other players need to socialize with the right people to get selection

If you guys analyze our cricket properly, every player has reached to Pakistan level due to some level of networking or reference.

Because Imam has done well against Zimbabwe it looks alright but that could be his career best and it's down hill from here.
We have seen nepotism doesn't produce remarkable results with Imran Farhat Faisal Iqbal and Shan Masood recently in test cricket all examples of it players on merit would have done better.

 

[Bilal7]

<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-partner="tweetdeck"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">Reporter "Your uncle Inzamam-ul-Haq used to sleep a lot, do you also like to sleep a lot like him?”<br><br>Imam-ul-Haq "how do you know that, have you slept with him?"<a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/Cricket?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#Cricket</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/AsiaCup2018?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#AsiaCup2018</a></p>— Saj Sadiq (@Saj_PakPassion) <a href="https://twitter.com/Saj_PakPassion/status/1040278505395838977?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">September 13, 2018</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>

)

Now if only Imam would also destroy some Indians on the field.

Today I learned something new "merit means nothing when you are not good enough"


But then I searched the meaning of merit and this came up:
View attachment 83813





Don't know whether to believe PP description of merit or actual description.

[MENTION=131701]Mamoon[/MENTION].exe is malfunctioning because he is programmed to viciously oppose Inzamam and previously, the "nepotistic" selection of Imam was one such tool to do so but now that Imam has proved that such allegations were baseless, he is forced into praising the practice of nepotism because he simply cannot admit that Inzi is not nepotistic at all.

Hopefully, these bugs will be solved soon.

 

[Mamoon]

It's a bit self contradictory - if a person qualifies on merit or is selected on merit, then the question of nepotism is redundant. Nepotism is only applicable, when someone is facilitated somehow, for which he isn't qualified enough or there are better options available. In that regard, you can't say that nepotism has worked, because at first place the guy should have been selected on his merit it self. You can say that, sometimes better candidates had to back on relationship for their chances - but that's system failure, not that nepotism worked.

In Imam's case, good luck to the boy, and he has put numbers against SRL & ZIM. BUT, his selection is biased, tactfully done to create a vacuum and this will cost PAK one day, because this was nepotism.

First, above 3/4 candidates, no way this kid should have got the chance in squad - they picked him as opener and made sure that he gets games. To his credit, he has cashed on, so fair enough, but as I say, PAK will face nemesis for this one.

I give straight names for this - no way, Imam should have been picked ahead of Saud, who is senior by one U19 WC, better performer in every aspect, was invested through A team (& did well there), and he can bowl a bit as well. And, if I consider how both looks as a batsman while batting beyond stats - absolutely no comparison. If you look at their over all domestic stats,

Saud - FC (25 games): avg/sr 47/49, 100-6, 50-12; 12 wickets at 48. List A (44): a/s 50/85, 100-2, 50-12; 20 wickets @ 42

Imam (including Internationals) - FC (39 games): avg/sr 36/44, 4/12, 1 wicket. List A (37): a/s 40/78, 5/6; 1 wicket.

These figures are misleading, because Imam's stats are inclusive of Internationals and he was lucky to face Post Mughabe ZIM. This is his International stats,
Test (3): 34/51, 0/1, 0 wickets. ODI (9), 68/88, 4/0, zero wicket.

SO<> if I take out internationals from Imam's stats - BASICALLY at the point when Ul Haq picked his nephew for the imaginary vacuum in opening spot from no where, this was his stats

FC (36): 36/44; 4/11, 1 wicket. List A (28): 32/72, 1/6, zero wicket.


I still give a bod to Ul Haq, imandar admi - we should look at the contemporary stats - lets take 2017-18 domestic season, which started before SRL series, FC completed before NZ tour and season completed well before UK/ZIM tour.

Saud: FC: 7 games, 488 runs at 38/51, 1/4; 6 wickets @ 32. List A: 15 games, 722 runs @ 66 average, 1/5 and as usual PCB's data has SR for FC game but not for List A; 13 wickets @ 25

Imam: FC - 5 games, 222 runs at 28, no wicket, 1/0. List A: 4 games, 40 runs at 10 average, 0/0 and didn't bowl.

Nothing against the kid & I wish him success, but he is the best specimen of nepotism in PAK cricket.

I am a fan of Ul Haq as a player, but ..... It's fortunate for PKC that, Arthur is there for some check & balance, otherwise this guy'll start searching in his neighbors & mohallam to find cricketers for PAK team.

I have my issues with Inzamam and I have touched on them in great depth in much detail. However, the debate between nepotism and merit is a very complicated in cricketing terms. You never know how good a player actually is unless you try him out in internationals - domestic record is only a guide, and that is why not every successful domestic player has transferred his skills to international cricket.

As a result, merit does not always work in cricket. At times, selectors have to show an eye for talent and if Imam goes onto have a great career, he won't be the first or the last player to fare better in internationals than domestic, and no one will be able to hold nepotism charges against him. If he fails, he will be held responsible for it, so in some ways, he has taken a bet which he is winning so far.

 

[Mamoon]

)

Now if only Imam would also destroy some Indians on the field.



[MENTION=131701]Mamoon[/MENTION].exe is malfunctioning because he is programmed to viciously oppose Inzamam and previously, the "nepotistic" selection of Imam was one such tool to do so but now that Imam has proved that such allegations were baseless, he is forced into praising the practice of nepotism because he simply cannot admit that Inzi is not nepotistic at all.

Hopefully, these bugs will be solved soon.

You have to call a spade a spade. You had declared Inzamam Pakistan's greatest selector before he had selected a single squad, and we all know why. Those "reasons" will prevent you from criticizing him even if he selects Imran Farhat.

The criticism against certain actions of Inzamam both as a player and as a selector are justified. However, if Imam continues to do well, there is no point in holding nepotism charges against him.

I am actually not against nepotism at all because you need connections in Pakistan regardless of your field. Even if you deserve something on merit, someone with more influence is going to sidestep you, so you need some connections and clout even if you are deserving candidate on merit.

As I said earlier, nepotism has worked wonders for Pakistan cricket in the past. Someone like you, who considers Imran Khan the greatest cricketer of all time would probably know. Cricket was largely rich man's sport in Pakistan up till the 1970s, with a lot of players coming from affluent families of Lahore and Karachi.

One such family was the Burki-Khan family who were among the most influential cricket families in Pakistan, and Majid Khan was already a fixture in the Pakistan team when his mediocre, scrawny 19 year old cousin made his debut for Pakistan and was so bad that he was shunned for a couple of years, but the rest is of course history.

Imran Khan would probably have never made it to the top if it wasn't for his family, and people who suggest that every selection in Pakistan cricket should be done on 100% merit should realize that if that was the case since the beginning, players like Imran Khan might have never played for Pakistan.

 

[Savak]

He may have been selected on nepotistic grounds, but so far, he has performed better than a meritorious player (in his stead) would have.

I fully support nepotism as long as the right person gets the job. Merit means nothing when you are not good enough. A lot of good players are lost in the system due to multiple reasons, and if they use their connections to get the opportunity that they deserve, there is nothing wrong with it.

I don't know if Imam will get a reality check in the future or not, but so far he has not put a foot wrong. He has made a brilliant start to his international career and Inzamam has been justified in giving him an opportunity.

Lol Merit means garbage will not get selected and that quality and performance will always be selected

 

[Savak]

it is the reality.

Fact is, had he not been Inzi's nephew he wouldn't had been selected this quickly.

Guys like Azhar ALi has done nothing wrong to be dropped, and Imam was quite down on the pecking order.

Whether people like to hear this or not, there was the Inzi influence. Same goes for Shan Masoods intial selection.

Being selected on influence or sifarish isn't a bad thing is my view. It happens everywhere, but the thing is if one keeps on getting selected on poor performances, then its a concern

Azhar Ali did plenty wrong to be dropped from the ODI team, looking like a school boy in NZ against Bolt, Southee after having played for 8 years for Pakistan and being a senior batsman is a crime.

 

[PakLFC]

This is exactly what Faisal Iqbal said years back. We know how that turned out.

 

[ChuckLee]

He may have been selected on nepotistic grounds, but so far, he has performed better than a meritorious player (in his stead) would have.

I fully support nepotism as long as the right person gets the job. Merit means nothing when you are not good enough. A lot of good players are lost in the system due to multiple reasons, and if they use their connections to get the opportunity that they deserve, there is nothing wrong with it.

I don't know if Imam will get a reality check in the future or not, but so far he has not put a foot wrong. He has made a brilliant start to his international career and Inzamam has been justified in giving him an opportunity.

You just killed logic

 

[Pete Rose]

If he wants to step out of inzi’s shadow he has to score against the big boys

 

[Sunny_majoka]

I'm sure after Asia cup .All the naysayers will admit imam is the best opener we have.

 

[Bilal7]

You have to call a spade a spade. You had declared Inzamam Pakistan's greatest selector before he had selected a single squad, and we all know why. Those "reasons" will prevent you from criticizing him even if he selects Imran Farhat.

The criticism against certain actions of Inzamam both as a player and as a selector are justified. However, if Imam continues to do well, there is no point in holding nepotism charges against him.

I am actually not against nepotism at all because you need connections in Pakistan regardless of your field. Even if you deserve something on merit, someone with more influence is going to sidestep you, so you need some connections and clout even if you are deserving candidate on merit.

As I said earlier, nepotism has worked wonders for Pakistan cricket in the past. Someone like you, who considers Imran Khan the greatest cricketer of all time would probably know. Cricket was largely rich man's sport in Pakistan up till the 1970s, with a lot of players coming from affluent families of Lahore and Karachi.

One such family was the Burki-Khan family who were among the most influential cricket families in Pakistan, and Majid Khan was already a fixture in the Pakistan team when his mediocre, scrawny 19 year old cousin made his debut for Pakistan and was so bad that he was shunned for a couple of years, but the rest is of course history.

Imran Khan would probably have never made it to the top if it wasn't for his family, and people who suggest that every selection in Pakistan cricket should be done on 100% merit should realize that if that was the case since the beginning, players like Imran Khan might have never played for Pakistan.

Firstly, I always knew Inzamam would help fix our cricket because I know the kind of man he is and there was ample evidence during his playing career (barring the first few years but we are all dumb when we're teens). He's not the kind of man to entertain corruption and he's never employed favouritism, despite popular belief. The fact that our team has slowly but surely rid itself of the Farhats proves my point much more emphatically than your hypothetical scenario proves yours. Inzamam is our greatest chief selector and you should be a man of honour and admit that you were wrong about him.

Secondly, who says Imran Khan would not have been selected on merit? Sure, his debut might have been delayed by a few years but he would have surely played for Pakistan after he transformed in Imran Khan.

Selection should generally be on the basis of merit. In some cases, selection can be based on potential, tactics or on the request of the captain and/or coach. However, selection should never be made on the basis of nepotism - if the player is any good, he'll back it up by doing well at the domestic level.

 

[Hasan123]

I'm not worried about him in tests but in ODIs he has a lot to prove. He's shown he can get big scores. Just worried about how he paces his innings and the rotation of strike against top teams. We will see how he does in these next few LO series.

 

[srh]

That is not the reality - that is your perception.

thats the reality; he was first selected in the team (ODI) only because he is nephew of the great Inzamam.

 

[MenInG]

thats the reality; he was first selected in the team (ODI) only because he is nephew of the great Inzamam.

And your proof is what?

Imam continues to do well much to the discomfort of many

 

[Rana]

I like this guy but 65* so far off 164 balls on a track that is practically doing nothing, needs to improve that strike rate even if it’s Test cricket

 

[Bewal Express]

I like this guy but 65* so far off 164 balls on a track that is practically doing nothing, needs to improve that strike rate even if it’s Test cricket

Sami Aslam has the same problem and that didn’t turn out well. There are circumstances where a poor SR is appropriate but after a few innings a pattern will emerge and I hope for his sake,he doesn’t end up like Sami Aslam

 

[Bilal7]

Sami Aslam has the same problem and that didn’t turn out well. There are circumstances where a poor SR is appropriate but after a few innings a pattern will emerge and I hope for his sake,he doesn’t end up like Sami Aslam

Sami should be brought back. Pakistan will become the #1 side in the world if they have two openers with averages of 50 and SRs of 30 in their team.

 

[Ahson8]

Good player. And he’s much superior to Sami Aslam, don’t compare him to that guy

 

[Napa]

Sami should be brought back. Pakistan will become the #1 side in the world if they have two openers with averages of 50 and SRs of 30 in their team.

Good point. The value of openers scoring slowly but protecting later batsmen from the new ball is often not understood.

 

[alized]

Imam ul Haq is perhaps the best batsman of Pakistan right now. His flaw is that he gets impatient sometimes and gets out to a big shot.

 

[SensiblePakFan]

imam and sami aslam are equally good, just watch any u-19 game.

 

[SarfiBabarHaris]

One of those rare Pak batsmen who performs well in 2nd innings.

Started to like him because of this rare quality for a Pak bat.

 

[mak36]

One of those rare Pak batsmen who performs well in 2nd innings.

Started to like him because of this rare quality for a Pak bat.

His spin play is good too (especially when he moves his foot).

 

[MenInG]

Excellent innings in 2nd semi in QEA Cup vs PTV

 

[MenInG]

Really needs to do more to be recognised as a good choice and not a nephew

 

[Last Monetarist]

Thus far, I don't really see whether he's any better than Shan Masood. He's a walking wicket.

 

[Amjid Javed]

Knowing our selectors he will be dropped and replaced by shan masood. Pathetic selection imam and not based on merit.

 

[RedwoodOriginal]

You have to call a spade a spade. You had declared Inzamam Pakistan's greatest selector before he had selected a single squad, and we all know why. Those "reasons" will prevent you from criticizing him even if he selects Imran Farhat.

The criticism against certain actions of Inzamam both as a player and as a selector are justified. However, if Imam continues to do well, there is no point in holding nepotism charges against him.

I am actually not against nepotism at all because you need connections in Pakistan regardless of your field. Even if you deserve something on merit, someone with more influence is going to sidestep you, so you need some connections and clout even if you are deserving candidate on merit.

As I said earlier, nepotism has worked wonders for Pakistan cricket in the past. Someone like you, who considers Imran Khan the greatest cricketer of all time would probably know. Cricket was largely rich man's sport in Pakistan up till the 1970s, with a lot of players coming from affluent families of Lahore and Karachi.

One such family was the Burki-Khan family who were among the most influential cricket families in Pakistan, and Majid Khan was already a fixture in the Pakistan team when his mediocre, scrawny 19 year old cousin made his debut for Pakistan and was so bad that he was shunned for a couple of years, but the rest is of course history.

Imran Khan would probably have never made it to the top if it wasn't for his family, and people who suggest that every selection in Pakistan cricket should be done on 100% merit should realize that if that was the case since the beginning, players like Imran Khan might have never played for Pakistan.

First off, Imran Khan would have eventually made it to the side even if he wouldn't have gotten a debut at 19. County cricket was responsible for grooming him while Sarfaraz, Mushtaq and the 79' Australian tour all played major roles in making him realize his true potential and there's no reason to suggest that his selection even at 19 was made on the basis of nepotism. Secondly, since you're talking about the Burki family and Majid Khan you should also know that when Majid himself had started out in domestic cricket his father Jahangir Khan was the national selector. When Majid started to come into national contention with his performances his father rather than selecting him actually resigned from his position as national selector because he didn't want his son's selection into the side (which was bound to happen anyway) to be marred by accusations of nepotism and conflict of interest.

These were the kind of people running the PCB back then and this is how much they cared about morality and ethics. I agree that we need to put at end to this Imam debate since it is by no means any fault of his own but playing devil's advocate and defending nepotism on your part is simply wrong.

 

[Mamoon]

First off, Imran Khan would have eventually made it to the side even if he wouldn't have gotten a debut at 19. County cricket was responsible for grooming him while Sarfaraz, Mushtaq and the 79' Australian tour all played major roles in making him realize his true potential and there's no reason to suggest that his selection even at 19 was made on the basis of nepotism. Secondly, since you're talking about the Burki family and Majid Khan you should also know that when Majid himself had started out in domestic cricket his father Jahangir Khan was the national selector. When Majid started to come into national contention with his performances his father rather than selecting him actually resigned from his position as national selector because he didn't want his son's selection into the side (which was bound to happen anyway) to be marred by accusations of nepotism and conflict of interest.

These were the kind of people running the PCB back then and this is how much they cared about morality and ethics. I agree that we need to put at end to this Imam debate since it is by no means any fault of his own but playing devil's advocate and defending nepotism on your part is simply wrong.

Majid's case was different. As you stated, he made the team on the merit of his performances, but Imran did not. He picked because of his cousin and his passion for the game made him work hard to unleash his ability. However, he may never have had the opportunity to hone his skills in County Cricket if it wasn't for his early, undeserved tint with the national team which provided him with a much needed springboard. If it wasn't for his family's influence, he would be toiling in domestic cricket for years.

I am not playing anything here, I am simply stating a fact - nepotism is not always bad, and it is rarely avoidable. There is nothing wrong with nepotism if the right person gets the the job, and in Pakistan, merit alone rarely takes you anywhere. As I said earlier, even if you deserve something on merit, there will always be someone who will take it away from you because of his/her influence, so you need some clout to get the position regardless.

Most people do not know this, but the most of the players who have played for Pakistan (even the ones on merit) have had some influence and the right relations with the right people. It is simply not possible to get your way in this country purely on merit.

 

[Darkrai]

If Imam performs nobody will question his selection. Trust me, if he scores couple of 100s in SA/AUS and starts being consistent then everyone will celebrate his selection.

Bottom line, give performances and win Pakistan matches and nobody will question how and why you got into the national team.

In the end performance is all that matters.

 

[RedwoodOriginal]

Majid's case was different. As you stated, he made the team on the merit of his performances, but Imran did not. He picked because of his cousin and his passion for the game made him work hard to unleash his ability. However, he may never have had the opportunity to hone his skills in County Cricket if it wasn't for his early, undeserved tint with the national team which provided him with a much needed springboard. If it wasn't for his family's influence, he would be toiling in domestic cricket for years.

I am not playing anything here, I am simply stating a fact - nepotism is not always bad, and it is rarely avoidable. There is nothing wrong with nepotism if the right person gets the the job, and in Pakistan, merit alone rarely takes you anywhere. As I said earlier, even if you deserve something on merit, there will always be someone who will take it away from you because of his/her influence, so you need some clout to get the position regardless.

Most people do not know this, but the most of the players who have played for Pakistan (even the ones on merit) have had some influence and the right relations with the right people. It is simply not possible to get your way in this country purely on merit.

That's a bit of a cynical way of looking at things. Just because the system is flawed doesn't mean you should do nothing to reform it.

I see your point but I just don't agree with it.

 

[Amjid Javed]

Philander and steyn will be licking their lips at facing imam with plenty of catching practice for the slips if hes picked.

 

[Pakhs]

Well if he continues to get low scored and not perform then he will definitely be remembered as Imam and not Inzamam who is a legend.

 

[Pakhs]

Philander and steyn will be licking their lips at facing imam with plenty of catching practice for the slips if hes picked.

To be fair Inzimam didnt do great in SA either.

 

[Usman Chadda]

Imam-ul-Haq has to go

No matter what. Enough is enough. I don't care if he's 21, 17 or even 5 years old. I don't see any potential here. I don't see any talent here. He is a nobody, and he will always be a nothing player. This guy will become a cancer for the team if we keep playing him, much like the likes of Hafeez and Malik. It saddens me to see such a rubbish player represent my national team. Has zero intent, had zero skills and is a blatant case of nepotism. This guy will never amount to anything, please mark this thread if you want to and bump it as much as you like.

Just kick him out. Will definitely go down as one of the worst players to represent Pakistan in the last decade.

 

[Markhor]

Hafeez and Imam have guaranteed 20-2 in every innings.

Crazy how we didn't change the partnership in this Test. Crazier still, Imam's probably going to South Africa !

 

[in_cutter]

Most of these lot are inept. Sack the lot. Make Fakhar captain. Start fresh.

Wishful thinking by me.

 

[Asif321]

Hafeez has done a disaster for us we could have easily tested new opener here
He blocked the place and then retired such a selfish player
Inzi can’t see anything beyond imam . Imam is a bad fielder too
Can’t imagine he is our opener in odis too
We need fakhar and other opener

 

[Ramsay]

Imam averages 40+ in the second innings of the Test matches and you want him to go? And also, he is the top scorer till now in the second innings.

He does not have the ‘A’ game but still he tries hard to score runs. So much better than the tialunts in the team. Imam is a battler and he will come good soon.

 

[Mamoon]

The problem is that because of the "nepotism" axe hanging around his thread, for Pakistani fans, Imam will always be the first player to have his head on the chopping block. He is not a world class talent, but I believe that if his surname was not "ul-Haq", Pakistani fans would be cutting him more slack.

So far, he has had a decent start to his career and has shown some ability to handle pressure. Yes he has engaged in minnow bashing, but you can put together any XI in the country and they will get thumped by quality teams more often than not. That is the state of our cricket. By all means drop him, but he is not going to be replaced by a player who will make Pakistan a top team.

 

[Usman Chadda]

The problem is that because of the "nepotism" axe hanging around his thread, for Pakistani fans, Imam will always be the first player to have his head on the chopping block. He is not a world class talent, but I believe that if his surname was not "ul-Haq", Pakistani fans would be cutting him more slack.

So far, he has had a decent start to his career and has shown some ability to handle pressure. Yes he has engaged in minnow bashing, but you can put together any XI in the country and they will get thumped by quality teams more often than not. That is the state of our cricket. By all means drop him, but he is not going to be replaced by a player who will make Pakistan a top team.

You are such a hypocrite. On one hand you bash pretty much everyone for being mediocre, yet you continue to defend this pathetic rubbish just because his surname is 'Ul haq'. He is not decent, he will never be decent and will turn out to be another Imran Farhat if we giving him chances. Everybody and their dog has realized he is out of depth in terms of skill against decent bowlers. On top of that, he is selfish and has the gall to give interviews about the fact that people criticize him for being Inzi's nephew. Damn right we will lay into a nepotistic selection. We have replaced garbage like Sami Aslam and Shan Masood with garbage.

Also Inzi would do well to save his nephew's career, what with Imam getting hit by a short ball every other innings.

 

[Hamza_]

I don't agree with your take on Imam-Ul-Haq.
[MENTION=131701]Mamoon[/MENTION]

 

[Amjid Javed]

Hack by name and nature.

 

[Mamoon]

You are such a hypocrite. On one hand you bash pretty much everyone for being mediocre, yet you continue to defend this pathetic rubbish just because his surname is 'Ul haq'. He is not decent, he will never be decent and will turn out to be another Imran Farhat if we giving him chances. Everybody and their dog has realized he is out of depth in terms of skill against decent bowlers. On top of that, he is selfish and has the gall to give interviews about the fact that people criticize him for being Inzi's nephew. Damn right we will lay into a nepotistic selection. We have replaced garbage like Sami Aslam and Shan Masood with garbage.

Also Inzi would do well to save his nephew's career, what with Imam getting hit by a short ball every other innings.

You can call me whatever I want, but I don't see the excitement in axing Imam when he is not exactly blocking the path of a young batsman who is going to take on the best bowlers in the world heads on. I have no love for Inzamam and I am highly critical of the damage he has done to Pakistan cricket, but I cannot criticise him for selecting Imam unless there are a string of players waiting in the wings who will transform this team.

I have zero faith in our batsmen which is why I am not bothered if Imam is dropped or not. The only thing that I am insisting on is do not expect miracles from the next in line.

 

[Mamoon]

I don't agree with your take on Imam-Ul-Haq.

[MENTION=131701]Mamoon[/MENTION]

My point is that he is not blocking world class batsmen from getting into the team. Since we do not have any, I do not care if whether Imam is dropped or not. I will not be upset if never plays for Pakistan again and I will also not be upset if he continues to play. Either way, we will be a mediocre team.

 

[Usman Chadda]

You can call me whatever I want, but I don't see the excitement in axing Imam when he is not exactly blocking the path of a young batsman who is going to take on the best bowlers in the world heads on. I have no love for Inzamam and I am highly critical of the damage he has done to Pakistan cricket, but I cannot criticise him for selecting Imam unless there are a string of players waiting in the wings who will transform this team.

I have zero faith in our batsmen which is why I am not bothered if Imam is dropped or not. The only thing that I am insisting on is do not expect miracles from the next in line.

Then why do you bash Azhar Ali? Do you see a string of players waiting in the wings who could replace him? If you are adamant on calling Imam 'decent' in a number of threads just to stand out from the popular opinion, while you bash Azhar or call Babar soft and mediocre, you will be called out as a hypocrite.

 

[Mamoon]

Then why do you bash Azhar Ali? Do you see a string of players waiting in the wings who could replace him? If you are adamant on calling Imam 'decent' in a number of threads just to stand out from the popular opinion, while you bash Azhar or call Babar soft and mediocre, you will be called out as a hypocrite.

I am critical of Babar because I feel that he (along with Haris) are the only two batsmen in the team with the ability to be among the top batsmen. However, their lack lustre attitude is holding them back. Haris is timid and lazy, while Babar is fit but timid nonetheless.

I am critical of Azhar because he is a veteran of nearly 70 Tests with 8 years under his belt yet he has oozes zero confidence and has no ability to make his mark on the game. I am not critical of Azhar because I think that he is preventing a world class number three from playing because I know for a fact that we do not have any.

 

[Khanusman1]

I don’t know why people are saying to drop imam. I know he had a bad series but he’s one of the best openers in Asia. Currently I would rate Rohit > Imam > Shikar > Fakhar > Tamim. I am sure he will light up the stadium on fire in the SA tour.

 

[Usman Chadda]

I am critical of Babar because I feel that he (along with Haris) are the only two batsmen in the team with the ability to be among the top batsmen. However, their lack lustre attitude is holding them back. Haris is timid and lazy, while Babar is fit but timid nonetheless.

I am critical of Azhar because he is a veteran of nearly 70 Tests with 8 years under his belt yet he has oozes zero confidence and has no ability to make his mark on the game. I am not critical of Azhar because I think that he is preventing a world class number three from playing because I know for a fact that we do not have any.

When you have your reasons for bashing Azhar, Haris and Babar, who have performed admirably in comparison to Imam, how on earth do you continue to defend Imam's continuous selection? It's entirely to support someone who is mocked here by 90% of the posters and stand out from the crowd. In other words, attention seeking.

In another thread, you called for Sarfraz to be removed from captaincy as you cannot keep failing at your job and continue, no matter how bad the options are. Quite the hypocrisy to suggest the opposite for Imam-ul-haq.

I would also like to remind you the fact that your support for Hafeez also blew up in your face, when he himself left Test cricket in the middle of the freaking test match

 

[Usman Chadda]

I don’t know why people are saying to drop imam. I know he had a bad series but he’s one of the best openers in Asia. Currently I would rate Rohit > Imam > Shikar > Fakhar > Tamim. I am sure he will light up the stadium on fire in the SA tour.

Is bhai ne aaj subah naashta nahi kiya

 

[topspin]

When you have your reasons for bashing Azhar, Haris and Babar, who have performed admirably in comparison to Imam, how on earth do you continue to defend Imam's continuous selection? It's entirely to support someone who is mocked here by 90% of the posters and stand out from the crowd. In other words, attention seeking.

In another thread, you called for Sarfraz to be removed from captaincy as you cannot keep failing at your job and continue, no matter how bad the options are. Quite the hypocrisy to suggest the opposite for Imam-ul-haq.

I would also like to remind you the fact that your support for Hafeez also blew up in your face, when he himself left Test cricket in the middle of the freaking test match

All 5 of these batsmen out of the top 6 deserve some criticism but I concur with you in re: Imam and Hafeez. The opinion made by Mamoon on the latter of these openers was a weird post especially from a very knowledgeable reader of the game.

 

[MRSN]

Nepotism at its best. This selection of Imam for SA tour is a disgrace and clearly shows Inzi's bias towards his nephew. Imam has been a passenger in test and should have been dropped after such a poor show against NZ.

 

[ahmadharis1]

Absolute ** that he was selected in the first place when there are other options available

 

[Amjid Javed]

Imam fails in every inns during series but still gets selected, just goes to show how inept and corupt selections in team are.

 

[Rayyman]

He's been trash just like every other Top 3 bat in Pakistan barring Fakhar Zaman.

 

[Mamoon]

When you have your reasons for bashing Azhar, Haris and Babar, who have performed admirably in comparison to Imam, how on earth do you continue to defend Imam's continuous selection? It's entirely to support someone who is mocked here by 90% of the posters and stand out from the crowd. In other words, attention seeking.

In another thread, you called for Sarfraz to be removed from captaincy as you cannot keep failing at your job and continue, no matter how bad the options are. Quite the hypocrisy to suggest the opposite for Imam-ul-haq.

I would also like to remind you the fact that your support for Hafeez also blew up in your face, when he himself left Test cricket in the middle of the freaking test match

Instead of calling me a hypocrite in every post, please try to understand my point. Imam has played what, 20 games only for Pakistan so far? And out of these 20 games, probably less than half of these games have been against top flight opposition. Yes he has not played a single notable innings against any of these teams yet, but it is far too early to criticise him especially when we are not loaded with great batting talent.

After a couple of years and with a decent sample size, if he continues to fail against the top teams, I will be the first one to criticise him. However, people have simply been too quick to criticise because of the Inzamam factor.

Now let me clarify my stance on Hafeez. He is not a great batsman by any means, but ever since he has become a regular in 2010 after his formative years, he has mostly made the team on merit. For all his inconsistencies, he is usually among the top performers. In fact, prior to this series, he has averaged 50 at a SR of 60 in UAE as an opener with tons against England, Australia and New Zealand. Are you telling me that someone like him does not make a mediocre team like Pakistan on merit?

Of all the openers we have tried in the last decade, he has been better than all minus Fakhar. The problem is that people judge his batting by comparing him to the players in other teams, and yes he was never close to the league of the top batsmen, but they are not his competition; his competition is (or was) the likes of Shehzad, Farhat, Masood, Jamshed, Manzoor, Butt, Awais Zia, Rafatullah etc. and he has been better than all of them.

It is a myth that he did not make the team purely on batting merit. He was simply an easy scapegoat because people expected him to develop into a top quality batsman after playing for so many years. However, he was never of that caliber but that did not had to do with his selection because he was still better than most of his competitors, if not all.