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[VIDEO] "Friendships have to be put aside, the mindset has to change": Imad Wasim

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Imad Wasim chats with Saj about Pakistan's recent struggles, where things are going wrong, Pakistan's mindset and approach, what needs to change, his own availability for Pakistan, the same mistakes being repeated, team results should always be more important than individual performances and more.


 
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Great interview

Cannot disagree with anything he said
 
Which 5 matches has he captained in?

Can you show me.

I made a mistake , but he did captain two matches against Australia in which we lost and contributed towards the whitewash.

We were an average ODI team between 2017 and 2019. What kind of modern cricket were we playing under Mickey? We were whitewashed by NZ, Aus and Eng, and lost 3-2 series against SA. We lost test series in UAE against SL and NZ.

He is simply bitter because he is out of the team
 
I made a mistake , but he did captain two matches against Australia in which we lost and contributed towards the whitewash.

We were an average ODI team between 2017 and 2019. What kind of modern cricket were we playing under Mickey? We were whitewashed by NZ, Aus and Eng, and lost 3-2 series against SA. We lost test series in UAE against SL and NZ.

He is simply bitter because he is out of the team

ok so from 5 matches it's suddenly gone down to 2 matches.
 
Mr superstar is a glorified tailender, a spinner who can’t turn the ball, he’s fielding is not that great. What is his use?

Move on, and if people say what’s the alternatives?, then I agree with a certain poster on here that Pakistan really has no talent.

We really can’t find either a better specialist bowler or batsman than Imad Wasim?? And if anyone calls him an all rounder then they need to ask themselves one question:

Can you use Imad Wasim in the same sentence as Kallis, stokes etc who actually qualify as being all rounders???
 
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There is lots of talent in Pakistan. Unfortunately, sometime it’s undiscovered, sometimes it’s neglected, something not given the opportunity, sometimes the Raw talent is not trained properly. All our ex-stars should work at grassroots level to improve our cricket instead of giving interviews.
 
His bowling in odi has been poor but with the bat he averages
40 vs australia
55 vs england
71 vs india
113 vs south africa

Average of 46 home and 49 away

2019 average of 47 before he was dropped
2018 average of 50

He could be a good lower/middle order batsmen we need
 
ok so from 5 matches it's suddenly gone down to 2 matches.

Doesn’t matter he’s an awful cricketer anyway. Very rich from him to be talking about friendship when he played Walton over rizwan for a long time. Walton batting stats in international are worse then tail Enders
.
 
Doesn’t matter he’s an awful cricketer anyway. Very rich from him to be talking about friendship when he played Walton over rizwan for a long time. Walton batting stats in international are worse then tail Enders
.

At that moment Rizwan had not gone through his T20 purple patch. He was a below average T20 player who played too slow and didn't fit into the team requirements.

Walton played at a much better strike rate than Rizwan at the time.
 
I like Imad a lot, but we need to be honest. I am not sure he fits into the ODI team right now. Salman seems perfectly capable to me.

Nawaz and Shadab are then our numbers 7 and 8. Nawaz is a superior bowler to Imad in ODIS.
 
ok so from 5 matches it's suddenly gone down to 2 matches.

Saw that series,,, Mickey believed in him but looks to be just English accent talk and nothing else...
Well he himself could have won those 2 matches as captain with his batting if he could as I rmb.. but being captain he hide himself behind players and debutants just like how Sarfraz did... also fearing for his place in CWC (bcoz of poor performance) didnt give enough overs to Haris Sohail..

In ODI cricket, he is kind of useless cant turn the ball, fielding ok , batting just hide behind batsmen, cant play an inns like how Nawaz did a no. of games.. fitness very poor.. lazy cricketer who thinks his English would get him far as a captain , may be in u-19 not in intl..
 
We need Imad for the World Cup in India. We can def accommodate him, Nawaz and Shadab in the line up. Imad is the only one of those spinners who can open the bowling and really tighten the screws early on. Babar has not implemented spinners up front which is also an option that needs to be looking into again.
 
We need Imad for the World Cup in India. We can def accommodate him, Nawaz and Shadab in the line up. Imad is the only one of those spinners who can open the bowling and really tighten the screws early on. Babar has not implemented spinners up front which is also an option that needs to be looking into again.

I wouldn't mind seeing this. Rather than a specialist spinner we can fit in all these spin all rounders and all can bat a bit. I'm afraid though there could be grouping in the team with the way he's criticizing the captaincy
 
He is a darter at best. Does not warrant a place in any of our XIs. How will he be captain??
 
People need to stop shooting the messenger and evaluate the message.

I am far from Imad the cricketer’s fan, but his message is spot on.

- We are playing dated cricket
- We are always looking to do “just enough” (great point he made about par score vs winning score and how we only ever just aim for par and expect the bowling to bail you out every match)
- Players play for their averages more than worry about results. There’s no disputing this
- a lot of selections are based on friendships

You’d have to be seriously deluded to argue against all those points.

And a message for the babar / rizwan cult. Why attack anyone that criticises them? If babar himself is defensive and responds that’s even understandable to an extent as the attack is on his captaincy and strategy. But why are the so called fans so defensive?

Is babar / rizwan more important than Pakistan’s results? Don’t you want your team to do better?
 
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I like Imad a lot, but we need to be honest. I am not sure he fits into the ODI team right now. Salman seems perfectly capable to me.

Nawaz and Shadab are then our numbers 7 and 8. Nawaz is a superior bowler to Imad in ODIS.

Imad’s competition is with Nawaz who has proven to be a tail ender.

Imad can give you more runs with the bat and is a leader.
 
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Imad’s competition is with Nawaz who has proven to be a tail ender.

Imad can give you more runs with the bat and is a leader.

They can both play

Nawaz is too good to drop just for Imad. Pakistan can drop Imam or Shan if the want and Babar can just open the batting if need be so
 
I don't support Imad's recall in ODIs as his bowling is not penetrative enough - he averages 60.61 against ENG, NZL, AUS and IND.

However he speaks well and makes good points about par scores vs winning scores.

And where I completely agree is how embarrassing it was seeing us celebrate a 0-0 draw against NZ. Babar and Rizwan were grinning like muppets after we escaped by the skin of our teeth in the 2nd Test when bad light saved us from a third successive home series defeat.
 
Quote of the week !

"When I'm bowling against English or South African or Australian batsmen my heart rate is 180 or 200 thinking about what to do.

On the other hand when their bowlers are bowling against us, they're just chilling."

Also glad to hear him call out our OTT celebrations for reaching the Asia Cup and World Cup finals when we've no trophies to show for it.
 
They can both play

Nawaz is too good to drop just for Imad. Pakistan can drop Imam or Shan if the want and Babar can just open the batting if need be so

To drop Imam and play Imad is too risky. The batting will become too too thin.

I rather play a Sharjeel in place of Imam who has a 10% chance of giving you a blistering start.

Nawaz’s role is that of an allrounder and he has failed to be honest.
 
Quote of the week !



Also glad to hear him call out our OTT celebrations for reaching the Asia Cup and World Cup finals when we've no trophies to show for it.

The only runners up historically remembered in the game to this day was the Pakistan 99 World Cup side

Wasim Akram’s team was the most iconic side in Pakistan ODI history (IMO). What a team that was! What a big opportunity missed by this side
 
To drop Imam and play Imad is too risky. The batting will become too too thin.

I rather play a Sharjeel in place of Imam who has a 10% chance of giving you a blistering start.

Nawaz’s role is that of an allrounder and he has failed to be honest.

I get your point but I’m personally not in favour of dropping Nawaz. He is one of the few players who has the ability to change the game in this side in brief moments.

Babar at the moment is already padded up ready to open considering anyone of Fakhar, Imam and even Shan are likely to just Nick off and sit in the dugout in the first few overs. Babar might as well just open and Pakistan can add extra cover with Imad at the back end

The other thing they can do is try Nawaz as an opener (but they will not think below the belt), because he’s actually a very good player of attacking pace bowling.
 
It all comes down to team combination.

Imad bowling is still above par, I think a good PSL from him will bring him into contention under current regime.

As a bowler I don’t know but if Nawaz or Shadab are to bat in top 6 we can accommodate Imad.

Looking at India May be we should stick to 2 fast bowler 2 spinner and Imad.

He can open the bowling and is a handy bat. And let’s be honest our fast bowlers really struggle with their own quota to bowl decent spells.

All comes down to team combination. With current top 4 I think Imad, Sarfraz and Amir are still very handy cricketers to have.

Agha is a top order bat for LOI, he isn’t the biggest finishers you will see rather a poor mans Babar.

I would have

Fakhar/Imam
Babar
Rizwan
Nawaz
Sarfraz/Tayyab
Agha
Shadab
Imad
Haris
Naseem
Shaheen
 
I agree with most points made by him. Publicly criticizing a team mate of yours is still uncalled for, if he was an ex cricketer then it would have made sense.

I don't see it happening anywhere in the world except Pakistan. How would he face his teammates if he join them. He should have avoided this interview, rather shared his concerns with PCB about Pakistan cricket and Babar Azam.
 
ironic, this is coming from a guy who has friendship with Shakil Sheikh...

point is, when friendship favors you, than its alright. But when it goes against you than its an issue
 
ironic, this is coming from a guy who has friendship with Shakil Sheikh...

point is, when friendship favors you, than its alright. But when it goes against you than its an issue

Shakil Sheikh is friends with the right kind of people

So don’t mind this
 
Also, he got 2 games as captain and yet the team lost. The guy has a bowling avg of 44 in odis. In t20s he offers nothing, just throws darts. His replacement, Nawaz is a much better bowler than him. Its too bad Babar as a captain fails to utilize him and throws him in bad situation.

Anyways, Imad Waseem was very lucky to play 100 games for Pakistan, and it was all thanks to Shakil Sheikh. He never deserved to play international cricket in the first place.
 
Also, he got 2 games as captain and yet the team lost. The guy has a bowling avg of 44 in odis. In t20s he offers nothing, just throws darts. His replacement, Nawaz is a much better bowler than him. Its too bad Babar as a captain fails to utilize him and throws him in bad situation.

Anyways, Imad Waseem was very lucky to play 100 games for Pakistan, and it was all thanks to Shakil Sheikh. He never deserved to play international cricket in the first place.
For once I agree with you. Imad is nothing more than an average cricketer at best but acts like a superstar.
 
Interestingly Shahid Afridi got in touch with Imad ahead of the ODI series against New Zealand regarding his availability.
 
Imad scores a useful knock of 40(33) in vain as his side loses to Comilla Victorians by 5 wkts in BPL.
 
Possibly, but he had already signed a deal to play in the BPL.

I think he wants to come back as a captain in one format. That’s what I understood from his interview with you
 
Mr superstar is a glorified tailender, a spinner who can’t turn the ball, he’s fielding is not that great. What is his use?

Move on, and if people say what’s the alternatives?, then I agree with a certain poster on here that Pakistan really has no talent.

We really can’t find either a better specialist bowler or batsman than Imad Wasim?? And if anyone calls him an all rounder then they need to ask themselves one question:

Can you use Imad Wasim in the same sentence as Kallis, stokes etc who actually qualify as being all rounders???

'Glorified tailender' are we talking about Imad Wasim. Imad Averages 42 + in Odi this batting average is also backed by 40+ in First class and 36+ in list A. That is far better than many specialist Batters who are playing in his place. He is not a strike bowler but a decent 5th bowler. not a big spinner of the ball but then so was Anil Kumble.
 
I think he wants to come back as a captain in one format. That’s what I understood from his interview with you

I don't think he thinks he can just walk back into the team as skipper. It's never that easy.

From the interview it's pretty clear he isn't happy with the way the team is playing white-ball cricket, the approach and the mindset.
 
Another very interesting interview -- thanks Saj.
He's made some interesting points and the perception of his ability as a player should not influence the validity of his thoughts on the game (some posters seem to have mixed up this obvious point).

For example, Babar is clearly one of the finest batters Pakistan has produced in years but hardly comes across as a deep thinker of the game.

Really enjoyed hearing his comments -- lets have more interviews like this Saj !
 
He is a quality T20 bowler, a better option than Nawaz but can't say the same for ODIs.
 
Imad Wasim in an interview speaking about Karachi Kings preparation.

"There were a lot of tactical errors, and the team was not built as it was to be for the tournament either your batting or bowling department should be heavy, at least one thing should be heavy; the squad balance was quite out, the way we were playing in the powerplay it wasn't up to the mark, and we will try to overcome our mistakes,"

"There is no doubt about Babar Azam's abilities. It doesn't matter who comes and goes; there is nothing more important than the team; Shoaib Malik will give the youth a chance to learn, Kings squad is balanced, no one can be taken lightly, and the fans are very enthusiastic,"

"Shoaib Malik, who plays in leagues worldwide, can be a great choice for the team. Even if the seniors do not perform in batting or bowling, their presence in the dressing room benefits the captain and the team

"the team gets a lot of encouragement in the home ground, Karachi; even if we lose, the stadium is full of fans in the next match. I believe Pakistan has the best crowd; we will try to disappoint the fans this time."

"PSL cannot be compared with any other league; it is our own league and a brand; wherever we play in the world, there is a different attitude while participating in PSL. Here, players enjoy their performance to the fullest"
 
Imad done well today

FocJ3pVaMAI6LVB
 
2/10 in 4 overs for Imad


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Nothing against him but his attitude sucks. Remember once when Shadab was made captain midway of a match in NZ Imad was so upset and throwing tantrums. Not a team player
 
Nothing against him but his attitude sucks. Remember once when Shadab was made captain midway of a match in NZ Imad was so upset and throwing tantrums. Not a team player

He is more of a team player than the statspadders are

Your precious Babar is too scared to bat at number 3 for the sake of his team
 
Nothing against him but his attitude sucks. Remember once when Shadab was made captain midway of a match in NZ Imad was so upset and throwing tantrums. Not a team player

Yeh lets fill the team with more “yes sir” villagers.
 
That’s why Imad won the PSL as captain for KK whilst Babar came last

Yeah winning PSL is the be it and be all. The amount of 100s Babar got lasted year Imad won’t get then if he played 30 years of international cricket.
 
Nothing against him but his attitude sucks. Remember once when Shadab was made captain midway of a match in NZ Imad was so upset and throwing tantrums. Not a team player

Agreed a rubbish cricketer like Imad thinks he’s a superstar. The fact is he’s several levels below nawaz and that shows how poor he is.
 
Yeah winning PSL is the be it and be all. The amount of 100s Babar got lasted year Imad won’t get then if he played 30 years of international cricket.

Oh right Imad is a specialist batsman who bats in the top 3 now.

I didn’t realise.
 
Oh right Imad is a specialist batsman who bats in the top 3 now.

I didn’t realise.

Oh so only top 3 can score hundreds. I never knew before. Imad is a spinner who doesn’t spin the ball and his average is embarrassing to say the least. What is even imad a bowler or a batsmen? His bowling stats are as bad as a part timer.
 
Shahid Afridi:

"I think that depends on your mindset if you have any goals set for the PSL. It depends if you want to stay average or compare yourself with the likes of Shaheen, Haris, and Naseem,”

“Mohammad Amir has been playing cricket for a while; the same goes for Imad. Both of them would like to perform, given the opportunity. I think it [PSL] is the platform which you can use to make a comeback.”
 
According to journalists

Babar didn't meet Imad and Amir while practicing in NSK, though he met Sharjeel Khan. Things not looking good .
 
According to journalists

Babar didn't meet Imad and Amir while practicing in NSK, though he met Sharjeel Khan. Things not looking good .

Babar is national star and best batter of Pakistan. Imad is a glorified tailender and Amir is Fixer. Not sure why does Babar needs to meet them.
 
I haven't come across any person who more toxic than Amir and Imad. These people used spit venom against the team playing WC and whining about their selection. I have no regrets for Amir who sold his country for few bucks at the age of 17. But Imad seemed to be well educated guy who could have actually understood why he was dropped from the team at first place.

Watching these two on TV in recent times, my respect for Sarfaraz has increased. The guy won CT against arch rivals and was dropped from all formats but still stayed humble and worked on his fitness and skills rather than blaming management for his exclusion.
 
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According to journalists

Babar didn't meet Imad and Amir while practicing in NSK, though he met Sharjeel Khan. Things not looking good .

KK v PZ should be tasty. A few personal battles to be sorted out.
 
Imad Wasim speaking to the press

"Babar's trade has nothing to do with me. It was our team owner's decision. He gave him the captaincy last year and he was the one who traded him this year. Being a member of franchise, our job is to make sure to win matches and nothing else,"

"We don't feel any rivalry with Peshawar. There is a rivalry between Karachi and Lahore but that too only between the cities and not players. And to be honest, we enjoy that,"

"Otherwise, we take every team as a challenge because being professionals, our franchise demands from us to win the games for them,"
 
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Imad Wasim in an interview:

“At this moment, I’m not to bothered about the World Cup,”

“Right now, I’m leading Kings and the aim is to play good cricket and all my focus is on the PSL.”

On facing Babar on the opposite side, Imad added:

“Every game is a spicy affair in the PSL. We know they’re going to come hard at us and we’re ready for it.”

“I always believe in playing aggressive, positive cricket,”

“We will assess the situation of the pitch first and then we will start thinking about how we go about it.

“The way the game is, if you don’t take wickets in the middle overs or the powerplay, the opposition will get away. But we’re going to try using a mystery spinner or a quick bowler [to do that for us]. We know conditions are good for batters in Karachi so we will be looking to take wickets.”

Imad is looking at veteran South African leg-spinner Imran Tahir to inspire his side. “He has always delivered in the PSL,”

“I’ve always believed in Haider ... especially when he was playing under me in Northern,”

“The key is to keep him up the order so he can score runs. I’ve watched him closely and I believe this will be his season.”
 
A nation who is hungry see their own people fail rather than making personal progress will produce players like imad, amir.
 
Leading from the front - 51* at the moment.
 
Greatest All rounder pakistan have ever produced after Abdul Razzak, Muhammad Noball Nawaz is bottom tier cricketer.
 
80 not out off 47 balls and nearly won a match that looked all but lost.

Can't really fault him for that batting effort.
 
80 not out off 47 balls and nearly won a match that looked all but lost.

Can't really fault him for that batting effort.

There is nothing Imad did wrong. Perhaps Ben Cutting should not have came onto the pitch.

Contributions of both Qasim Akram and Haider Ali were essentially null if not match loosing.
 
Imad Wasim 80* in Match 2 of PSL 8

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Respect bro

Unlucky today

There's no doubt he that he's good enough to play for Pakistan in both forms of white ball cricket as a specialist lower middle order batsman.
 
There's no doubt he that he's good enough to play for Pakistan in both forms of white ball cricket as a specialist lower middle order batsman.

But the hate against him and some players is just too much

Also the commentators are mouthpieces of the old regime. Imad and his type (who are not in favour) have no fair representation.

Bazid
Urooj
Ramiz (if he comes back)
Sana Mir
Waqar to some extent

All of them are against a certain group of players.
 
But the hate against him and some players is just too much

Also the commentators are mouthpieces of the old regime. Imad and his type (who are not in favour) have no fair representation.

Bazid
Urooj
Ramiz (if he comes back)
Sana Mir
Waqar to some extent

All of them are against a certain group of players.

I noticed this myself from the comm. box particularly from Urooj.

I was taken back by the level of hate aimed at Imad in the match thread as well. Not sure if it's because they also have an agenda against Imad or because their understanding of the game is so bad.

Even if I didn't like Imad, I would happy to see him do well because Pakistan has an ODI World Cup coming up later this year and we have a very short supply of decent lower middle order players who have his composure to score runs later in the innings.

Nawaz might be a better spinner but he's certainly no match for him as a batsman. Most of our fans don't even understand there is more than enough room to accommodate both players in the side.
 
There is nothing Imad did wrong. Perhaps Ben Cutting should not have came onto the pitch.

Contributions of both Qasim Akram and Haider Ali were essentially null if not match loosing.

Yes Cutting was poor.

I thought his experience could have been key, but he flopped.
 
Respect bro

Unlucky today

Is there anything he cant do? Class bowler, gutsy batter, safe fielder, good captain, intelligent speaker…

I reckon he can also bowl fast and keep wickets if really wanted to.
 
Is there anything he cant do? Class bowler, gutsy batter, safe fielder, good captain, intelligent speaker…

I reckon he can also bowl fast and keep wickets if really wanted to.

The only thing he can’t do is please people for being an honest cricketer
 
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