(Source X)
Former Pakistan cricketer Salman Butt commented on the decision to exclude Imam-ul-Haq from the Pakistan squad for the upcoming Test series against Bangladesh while retaining Saim Ayub. He suggested that the choice appeared to be driven more by personal preferences than performance.
Pakistan will face Bangladesh in a two-match Test series, with the first match set to begin in Rawalpindi on August 21 and the second at Karachi’s National Stadium on August 30.
The recent squad announcement saw Imam-ul-Haq notably left out, while Saim Ayub was retained despite a less impressive track record. Imam-ul-Haq has struggled recently, particularly during the Test series against Australia, where he struggled with the short ball and was eventually replaced by Ayub for the final game.
In his YouTube video, Salman Butt expressed his view that there was no standout replacement for Imam-ul-Haq and that the management should have kept him in the squad. He acknowledged that Saim Ayub also lacks a strong record but might still deliver against Bangladesh.
“I believe that either you should have some very strong options before dropping someone or some outstanding performances were going on. But you picked a youngster, I think probably a result of liking. He has also got a lot of chances but he hasn’t scored many runs. But maybe now he does because, in Pakistan, Bangladesh can be a relatively easier opposition. It can prove to be.
“You shouldn’t take anyone easy but comparatively, if you are playing against Australia, England or Bangladesh, then you can say that Bangladesh is the easier option. The rest is that anyone can win and the way Pakistan has been playing cricket for a long time, no one knows how they will play against it.”
I think that Imam-Ul-Haq must be feeling very hard done – Salman Butt
Salman Butt further remarked that Imam-ul-Haq is likely feeling unjustly treated by the PCB. He criticized the board officials for using a lack of intent as the rationale behind the opening batter’s exclusion from the squad.
“But I think that Imam must be feeling very hard done, especially when he was told that his intent was not right in the Australia series. And those who said that they have nothing to do with cricket. But someone must have told him that to say, someone must have assigned him on duty, someone must have told him that you talk to him. And the people who play cricket, I don’t know why they hesitate.
“They sit in the decision-making and they get scared while talking. They feel that their hands are tied. There are some people on the cricket board who have had their hands tied for long. They don’t even want to open their hands. They are told that their hands are tied and they believe their hands are tied,” he concluded.
