Pakistan all-rounder Imad Wasim has not been on the team since the T20 World Cup 2021.
The left-handed all-rounder has been ignored by the national team selectors and is thus going through a rough phase. He had last played the T20 World Cup in 2021 and has not featured in the squad ever since.
In an interview, Imad disclosed his sadness for not being on the national team squad and has held the selectors responsible for his exclusion from the team. He also talked about his current fitness and his friendship with the legend Babar Azam.
“I am very disappointed by this, and my feelings on this stem from the fact that I have performed so well for Pakistan and have not been picked for the team for a while now,” Imad said.
“Well, if they don’t like my face, they should be brave enough to say it, and I will be fine with that! Seriously though, not selecting someone for the Pakistan team because of personal dislike is not only unfair to the player and his career but it’s also a disservice to our country as it’s being deprived of the services of a good player. Such actions will eventually cost the country dearly and I urge the selectors to not think of personal likes and dislikes for players when selecting squads,” he added.
The 33-year-old all-rounder asked Mohammad Wasim, the chief selector of the national men’s squad, to justify the reason for his non-selection and asked him to be clear about what he meant when he mentioned “below par” performances.
As Imad Wasim is not getting any justification for being out of the Pakistan team, he said he is not shown respect. He is unsatisfied and expressed it by saying:
“One reason given to me was regarding the positive influence on the team. I don’t think I have a negative influence. I play leagues all around the world and whenever I play for one team, they approach me again and that shows that I don’t have a negative influence. This nullifies their first reason for not selecting me.”
“The fitness issues were also brought up. But truth to be told, I have a lot of dignity and pride since that is how I have always represented Pakistan. I used to get frustrated a lot by the reasons for non-selection but now I feel extremely weird because their responses are the same,” he said.
“I am sure Ramiz bhai knows about things since he himself has played cricket and has spent a lot of time in the commentary. I cannot say anything anymore,” Imad added.
In the future, he hopes to join in for the Pakistan team once again and is looking forward to playing for the next four to five years.
