LAHORE: After being not picked by the selectors for the upcoming Ireland-England tour, the left-handed batsman Fawad Alam reportedly broke down into tears.
According to an eyewitness, Pakistan cricket team captain Sarfraz Ahmed also went to console him.
On Sunday, Chief Selector Inzamam-ul-Haq announced 16-member squad for the tour and despite performing well in domestic cricket, Alam was once again ignored.
The selectors preferred newer and younger batsmen over him.
The similar scene was seen in 2014 when then-coach Waqar Younis dropped pacer Wahab Riaz from the team for Zimbabwe tour.
Talking to media after the team announcement, Coach Arthur said that it would be wrong to assume that he had something against Alam and Riaz. “The decision seems harsh at the moment but some decisions are made so that they can prove to be beneficial in the long run,” Arthur said.
He further said that doors of cricket have not been shut on the two players. “We will definitely look into the selection of the two for next series,” the coach said.
At the end of fitness and training camp, Alam was among the top scorers but was still not selected. The criticism by media and former cricketers have put the PCB on the back foot.
It is believed that head coach Arthur plays a vital role in the selection of the team as he picked Imam-ul-Haq, shutting down the chances for Alam.
According to reports, captain Sarfraz Ahmed was also in favour of Fawad Alam’s inclusion in the team but the coach and selectors have already made their minds.
Talking to media, unfazed by the severe criticism concerning the omission of batsman Fawad Alam, chief selector Inzamam-ul-Haq insisted he has seen “better players in the last three years”.
“Fawad Alam is an outstanding player but in the last three years there are others at the top of the list,” Inzamam told ESPNCricinfo. “We got him here in the nets but we found Saad Ali to be better, and the decision to prefer Saad was unanimous, with input from all the coaching staff and captain. Fawad is a good player and we obviously can’t ignore his career average; that is why he was brought into the camp. During my tenure, I have given 12 to 14 players an opportunity and none of them has disappointed us. If you look back in the past three seasons, there are players who have scored more runs than Fawad Alam.
“Dropping any player doesn’t mean we are disregarding them. It’s easy to pick players following scorecards or statistics, but there are many more things we take into consideration. I am not sure why Fawad wasn’t picked in the past before me but if you ask me about my tenure as chief selector, I have seen better players.”