Daily Times

KARACHI: Former batting great Younus Khan has thrown his support behind the long-ignored Fawad Alam, saying that the all-rounder would have been in his Test team if he were the captain. Lamenting the continuous non-selection of the all-rounder, Younus said it is tragic that Fawad had been excluded from Pakistan’s Test squad for the upcoming England and Ireland tours despite performing consistently in domestic cricket. “He is unlucky that, despite scoring massive runs in first-class cricket, he is being ignored,” said the former batsman, who retired in 2017 after becoming the first Pakistan to score 10,000 Test runs.

Expressing his reservation at the 16-member Pakistan Test squad announced for the tours next month, Younus pointed out that even experienced teams had struggled in the cold, wet conditions of Ireland and England. “When we toured England in 2016 under Misbah’s captainship, we managed to draw but didn’t win the series,” the cricketer recalled, adding that the younger team, led by Sarfraz Ahmed, could struggle in the English conditions.

According to Younus, there was no merit to the criticism that often surrounds Fawad’s batting technique. “I refuse to believe it,” he said, pointing out that every player performs with his particular technique.

He recalled that many people thought he would fail in England and Australia. But Younus proved them wrong with a batting average of 50.63 in 6 Tests he played in Australia, and 50.52 in 9 Tests in England. As far as the age factor is concerned, for him, it’s just a number. “It would be wrong to make age an excuse to decide someone’s career,” he said. Fawad is 32 years old, with most of his years spent waiting for a chance to play in the national side. Misbah played for Pakistan till he was 42 years old, and he himself played till the age of 39, Younus said, pointing out that age was never a hurdle in his performance and records. The veteran remarked that the coach, selectors and captain should always make decisions in the wider interests of the team. “Assuming that any one person’s opinion is correct, does not yield any benefit when you’re a coach, selector or captain,” Younus concluded.

Published in Daily Times, April 20^th 2018.