Negative talks about his relationship with nephew and former chief selector Inzamam-ul-Haq continue to haunt Pakistan opener Imam-ul-Haq. He has often been claimed as a product of nepotism despite his cricketing credentials which hasn't been an easy thing to deal with for the 23-year-old. 

"Being a nephew of Inzamam-ul-Haq, people think he influenced my selection," Imam told The Cricketer. "People forget that we are living in 2019, where the media is everywhere. I can’t be here without my performances. I would be exposed in two minutes."

"They don’t see that I’ve gone through the process. But they see that I’m a nephew of Inzamam and they believe that they have the right to bash me."

"Inzamam is a legend of Pakistani cricket, People don’t understand – why would he take a chance on me? He has the biggest reputation in Pakistan – he is a legend and a superstar," he added. 

"Why would he take that chance on a young guy if he’s not talented? Why would he take that risk? It’s not me. It’s about him. He’s the biggest star of Pakistani cricket. Why would he change that reputation?"

Imam said people in Pakistan need to be a bit more respectful of a cricketer's personal life and not further the pressure unnecessarily on players who are representing the nation on the field. 

"They don’t think that when I have two failures in a row, I have a hell of a lot of pressure. Other players are under pressure, but my pressure is immense. After two failures, I know that people will forget everything that I have done for Pakistan."

"I’m a different Imam-ul-Haq to what I was. Now I don’t care what people say," he added. "I know what I’m doing and what I have to do and what I have to work on. I don’t fear failure. They will come. It is cricket. How to learn from your mistakes is the most important thing."

"It has been two years and the people criticising are still the same. I know they won’t change. They won’t change their perspective – they think it’s fun, but it’s not. It’s my career," Imam said. 

The southpaw also wishes to one day win over his naysayers by doing something really special for Pakistan. 

"My inspiration was that I had to do something for my country," he said. "That is the only dream I have and that is the only dream I will ever have – that I have to do something for my country, for my people. I want people to admire what I do, the work I do for my country."

"I really don’t care what the journalists and the ex-players say, but what I really care about is that I always try to play for my country and for my people. I have seen the love that they have for cricket and for our cricket team. This is the thing that can bring a smile to everyone’s faces."

"I play for my people. When they criticise me, I don’t mind but I do get hurt. I want to change this perspective among the people of Pakistan – the local people should love me and I will always try to make them happy with my performances," Imam added.