Fawad Alam scored a century in his debut Test for Pakistan in 2009, making 168 out of a total of 320 against Sri Lanka in Colombo after Pakistan were shot out for 90 in the first innings. He finished third on the batting charts in Pakistan’s premier domestic first-class tournament in 2011-12, with 945 runs at 67.50 for National Bank of Pakistan. This season, after six matches, he’s on top of the run-scorers’ table, his 446 runs coming at 51.77.
Yet Alam has only three Tests to his name, the last of which was in November 2009. Three Tests, 27 ODIs and 24 Twenty20s. He is considered more of a limited-overs player, despite not having made much of a mark in the shorter formats and despite his fine numbers in first-class cricket, which show his technique isn’t flawed and he has the temperament to succeed in the long form, reported Cricinfo.
Alam grew up in the shadow of his famous father, Tariq Alam, whose two-decade first-class career ended in 1994. Tariq Alam is now a popular coach, and has mentored many modern Karachi players – including the likes of Younis Khan, Saeed Anwar and Rashid Latif. Fawad said his father is a source of encouragement for him. “I didn’t need to go out to learn cricket – he was there for me to guide and take care of me,” Fawad Alam said. “He is my courage and a cricket university at home who helped my career develop.”
Alam quashes the notion that he is a short-format player, and puts his lack of Test caps down to luck. “I’ve always wanted to be prominent, and I want gain this prominence by scoring heavily. I think my first-class career is evidence enough to dispel this false perception,” he told ESPNcricinfo. “I have scored runs in difficult situations and won my national place in 2007. If I am away from the national side, it is perhaps because of my luck; otherwise I have scored enough. “I don’t even buy this point, that I am only getting a chance in the wrong format.
