I think majority of Pakistanis think nepotism means having a family member in the same organization. The thread the other day said something like Imam is a nepotistic selection but he has earned his spot. Wth does that mean? People forget Imam has spent a lot of time on the fringes and was scoring heavily before he got selected. Imam is here to stay and he’s a far better bat than someone like Sami Aslam, Ahmed Shehzad, and whatever other opening options we have.
Sooner or later, Imam would have had a chance of playing international cricket because he is very gritty and knows how to churn runs.
In the 2014 U-19 World Cup, he was Pakistan’s leading run scorer and the second highest scorer over all.
People point at his domestic averages which are not exceptional, but these averages at 21-22 hardly mean anything, because the potential growth at this age is high.
I have no doubt in my mind that if he were to play domestic cricket till his late 20s, he would end up averaging 50+ because he is mentally strong and has big appetite for scoring runs.
He has lot going for him and it is time for people to cut their nonsense. He is technically sound, he has solid temperament and doesn’t throw his wicket away easily, and his fitness is excellent.
You don’t find a Pakistani batsman with this qualities every day, and the fact that he is only 23 years old is a massive bonus. He is a huge find for Pakistan and there is every chance that he is going to break many of our opening records, which mostly belong to one man anyway (Saeed Anwar).
As far as the complaints over nepotism are concerned, people are ignorant of how the cricket system works in Pakistan. It is very difficult to make your way to the top and plenty of players have benefited from contacts.
Fawad Alam is a domestic legend, but someone with his technique would not have passed a single trial in Pakistan.
The fact that his father was a former domestic cricketer and a well-respected figure in Karachi cricket was the reason how he got into domestic cricket in the first place.
Babar Azam has been under PCB’s wing since the age of 13, and surely the fact that his cousin was the national wicket-keeper played no small part.
Heck, our greatest ever player Imran Khan wouldn’t have had his first taste of international cricket if it wasn’t for his family.
There are plenty of other examples as well. It is a never ending list. I have no love for Inzamam, but I applaud him for fast-tracking his nephew who is clearly not an average joe and is superior to pretty much every opener that we have at our disposal.