KARACHI: Pakistan cricket coach Mickey Arthur on Thursday gave a statement on why Mohammad Hafeez was not selected in the T20 squad for the West Indies series, saying that he would not be able to bowl due to illegal bowling action went against his favour.
“If Hafeez is bowling, that’s great. But if not, then that’s a problem,” Arthur told the media at National Stadium, where the team was undergoing a training session ahead of the T20 series starting on April 1.
He was also asked about Kamran Akmal’s continuous absence from the national squad despite good performance in the Pakistan Super League (PSL), to which he replied that he will not compromise on fielding standards.
“Kamran Akmal is a very good batsman, but unfortunately he can’t field. We [already] have Sarfraz Ahmed as our wicketkeeper. Fielding is non-negotiable. If you can’t field, you can’t play for Pakistan. Simple as that,” he said.
He did, however, express excitement over having young blood in the squad in the form of Asif Ali, Hussain Talat and Shaheen Shah Afridi.
“These guys have brought fresh energy to the squad. We have a very strong squad, with all the in-form players. All of them are going to get equal chances,” he said.
“Rahat Ali bowled really well [in PSL]. There’s [plenty of] Test cricket coming up,” he told the media.
“Big names or not, West Indies are a very proud cricket nation, and their youngsters will perform [their best]. It will be a good series,” he concluded.
