LAHORE: Pakistan captain Sarfraz Ahmed on Saturday clarified that the decision not to select Fawad Alam for the upcoming tour of Ireland and England was a mutual decision and not a unilateral one borne out of any grudges. Alam fared reasonably well in the recently held national training camp but once again failed to make the squad, triggering a massive backlash against chief selector Inzamamul Haq. Inzamam had defended his decision to not pick Alam, saying that he “has seen better players than Alam in the last three years” – an opinion that did little to satisfy the out-of-favour batsman’s supporters, including former captain Rashid Latif. A day before departing for a daunting tour to the British Isles, Pakistan captain Sarfraz brushed aside criticism over the non-selection of Alam and emphasised that the 16-man squad selected for the tour is the “best of the best”. The Pakistan Cricket Board has picked a fairly young Test squad, with five uncapped players: Fakhar Zaman, Faheem Ashraf, Imam ul Haq and Usman Salahuddin. While Alam’s exclusion caused widespread debate in Pakistan, the team continued to train in Lahore as per normal, undergoing extensive drills in preparation for the tour. Supporting Inzamam, skipper Sarfraz told newsmen at the Gaddafi Stadium Lahore here: “We have four selectors, a coach and a captain. Whenever a squad is being formed everyone offers their opinion and then the final side is picked with mutual understanding and cooperation. Squads aren’t selected unilaterally or without consultation – it doesn’t work that way. Sure, there is always a difference of opinion but it doesn’t mean that someone (Inzamam) was against someone’s (Alam) inclusion.” When asked why he didn’t push for Alam’s inclusion in the team despite being the team’s captain, Sarfraz took a diplomatic stance, saying: “It’s not that I didn’t vote for him. If it were up to me I would take all 25 players for the tour. But we have to select 16 so naturally some were included and some not.” Sarfraz, however, made it clear that the door to the national team was not closed for Alam or anyone, saying that in future tournaments whoever performs well will make the cut. “Invariably, a few will get left out, and only 16 make the squad, but there is nothing to worry. There is no problem for those who are not selected this time around, and it’s not like they will never be picked again. My hopes are very high and I am optimistic with these new boys. The best thing about them is that they are willing to perform on the big stage.” This is Pakistan’s first visit to England for a Test series since 2016, when they drew 2-2 to become the top-ranked Test side. This will also be Sarfraz’s first away Test series as captain, and the first one in years without the retired Misbahul Haq and Younus Khan. His first series as captain was in the UAE against Sri Lanka, where they slumped to a 2-0 defeat, their only Test series loss since relocating there in 2009. Sarfraz, while wary of the challenge ahead of him, was fully confident about this new side doing well in English condition. “Whenever there is an England tour, the conditions are always tough,” said Sarfaraz. “On our previous tour in 2016, we played matches in July, but this year we are starting a bit earlier, so obviously it will be difficult to some extent. But we are working hard to give these boys as much confidence as possible and prepare ourselves. We have two practice games and we have prepared well here in Lahore. The way our batsman and bowlers are doing their hard work to enhance their skills, I believe this is going to get us good results.” Before the England tour, Pakistan will play a one-off which happens to be Ireland’s Inaugural Test, and Sarfraz wasn’t in the mood to take them lightly. “Ireland are a strong team with every player being a regular in country cricket, so I am expecting a good competitive match against them. We have a target that if we bat first, we will try to put on over 300, and then our bowling has the capability to take control of the game.” Pakistan’s preparation was dented after their leading spinner Yasir Shah was ruled out for 10 weeks. He picked up a stress fracture of his hip, and is presently undergoing an extensive rehabilitation. In the absence of Yasir, Pakistan’s selectors picked his closest replacement, legspinner Shadab Khan. However, Pakistan are likely to heavily relying on their pace battery, with Mohammad Amir and Rahat Ali leading the attack along with seamer Mohammad Abbas and Hasan Ali. Published in Daily Times, April 22nd 2018.