Imad Wasim had played 23 balls for his 15 runs with one four against India.
Former Pakistan cricketer Saleem Malik said on Monday that all-rounder Imad Wasim purposely squandered deliveries during Sunday's match against India in New York. Pakistan lost the match by six runs, despite dominating India for the majority of both innings.
Wasim, who came in at number five after Fakhar Zaman was out during Pakistan's 120-run chase, scored only 15 runs in 23 balls, including one four.
Malik accused Wasim of wasting deliveries during his sluggish knock, en route to Pakistan's loss, only to up his batting average.
"He [Imad Wasim] made sure he doesn’t get out and keep bettering his batting average. If I’m a batter and I’m not getting runs then I would try taking risk, no matter if I get out. But he kept on eating up deliveries and then changed the ends with singles,” Malik said on a TV show.
“Imad Wasim didn’t get to play much cricket since the last PSL. Shadab Khan, who scored 40-odd against the USA in the last game, shouldn’t have been promoted up the order. Sorry, but I would like to question why he [Imad Wasim] was promoted up the order, given that he hadn’t got enough chances before [the World Cup]. The batter should at least have tried something instead of playing dot balls,” he added.
Australia legend Adam Gilchrist noticed the remarks made by Salim Malik and he took a brutal dig at alleging a player of a deliberate act in a losing cause.
“A bunch of ex-Pakistan cricketers haven't missed their teams, at all. I mean Saleem Malik, of all people...I'm just reading the comments and paraphrasing, and I haven't heard him say, but had I heard him, it wouldn't have been to my benefit because it was in Urdu. He accused Imad (Wasim) of chewing up deliveries on purpose to make it a bit more interesting. Now I don't know if there are other accusations which come with that,” Gilchrist said on a podcast.