Shoaib Akhtar: Why Sarfaraz didn’t select Fawad Alam?

Monitoring Desk

KARACHI: Former Pakistan cricketer Shoaib Akhtar has questioned the notion that Fawad Alam was kept out of the side because he belongs to Karachi, as the middle-order batsman couldn’t find a place in the national team during Karachi-born Sarfaraz Ahmed’s captaincy tenure as well.

While speaking in a video on his YouTube channel, the former speedster said that the middle-order batsman was wrongly kept out of the national team despite being a prolific run-scorer in domestic cricket.

“There is a debate going on that Punjabis kept Fawad Alam out of the [national] team. Misbah was captain for five years and Inzamam was the chief selector, so they kept him out, which is correct. But Sarfaraz, who belongs to Karachi, was also the captain for three years. Why didn’t he select him? Think about that as well. Don’t put the entire blame on Misbah [and Inzamam],” said Akhtar.

“There was grave injustice done with Fawad and everyone has to accept it. Fawad performed when he played. He has three centuries in eight Test matches. He brought Pakistan back in the game with his determination,” he added.

In the recently-concluded Karachi Test, Fawad came to bat when Pakistan was in a precarious situation at 27/4 in the first innings. Although the odds were stacked against the Men in Green, Fawad played a gritty knock, scoring an unbeaten century, and helped Pakistan get past South Africa’s first-innings total of 220.

The left-handed batsman also hit the winning runs and was adjudged player of the match for his brilliant 109-knock in the first innings.