Pakistan's opening batter, Imam-ul-Haq, has openly criticised the country's selectors, accusing them of fostering a culture of inconsistency when it comes to player selection.
He also declared that the current state of Pakistan cricket is the worst he has witnessed in his seven-year career.
In a podcast, Imam addressed the issues surrounding Pakistan's recent performances, particularly the shocking loss to the USA during the 2024 T20 World Cup, which he believes further damaged the team's reputation. Imam, who was not part of the T20 World Cup squad, admitted that the team's situation has worsened since then.
"I wasn’t in the T20 World Cup, but I’ve heard stories that made me feel things went worse than during the ODI World Cup," Imam shared. He added that the loss to the USA and then to India, despite being in a winning position, were key turning points that exposed deeper problems within the team.
Imam reflected on the narrow loss to India, highlighting how Pakistan's chances slipped away despite being in a strong position, needing only a run-a-ball. "Losing that match (to the USA) and then to India... you come to a winning situation where you need a run-a-ball and then lose from that point," he lamented.
The cricketer emphasized that a victory is essential to restore confidence within the team and bring back some much-needed stability. "A win is very important for the return of confidence. Although things are changing—captaincy has changed—and I think this happens in every country. You cannot control it. Only a win can save us from all these issues," he said.
Turning to the selection process, Imam voiced his concerns about the perceived favoritism within the team's management. He accused the selectors of a "liking and disliking" approach, where some players are given more opportunities than others despite having similar abilities. Imam explained, "We gave our players consistent chances, but we didn’t get the results in the ODI World Cup. Other sides rely on giving consistent opportunities."
"If you are giving a player 15 matches while another player of similar caliber gets only three matches, then you’re creating problems for yourself. Selection criteria vary from player to player, based on liking or disliking," he added.
Imam also expressed how this inconsistency in the selection process has affected the players' confidence. "The confidence of every player is shaken from top to bottom. I don’t think I’ve seen Pakistan play this badly in my seven-year career," he admitted.
Pakistan's recent record has been a rollercoaster, with setbacks and triumphs. After being eliminated from the 2024 T20 World Cup, the team suffered a historic 2-0 loss to Bangladesh in a home Test series.
However, Pakistan managed to bounce back by defeating England 2-1 in the next Test series and winning a historic ODI series 2-1 in Australia, although they faltered in the subsequent T20I series. Currently, Pakistan is competing in an ODI series in South Africa, having won the opening match.
