Former Pakistani speedster Shoaib Akhtar took a dig at former Pakistani captain Sarfaraz Khan and questioned why Fawad Alam was not picked in the Test side for several years.
Batting first in the first Test in Karachi, South Africa were bowled out for 220. Replying to which the hosts were in a spot of bother as they found themselves tumbling at 27/4.
Fawad Alam joined hands with Azhar Ali as both the players were on the task to rescue the hosts from a precarious position and together stitched 94 runs partnership until Azhar Ali was caught by Quinton De Kock off Nauman Ali for 51.
However, Fawad Alam continued and notched up his third Test century to put the hosts on top in the first Test against South Africa at National Stadium Karachi. His knock not only assured Pakistan had a lead in the first innings, but also laid the perfect foundation.
The left-handed batsman’s career has been nothing less than a roller coaster ride. Alam made his Test debut in 2009 when he became the first Pakistan player to score a hundred away from home on his debut.
PAK v SA 2021: "Never blamed anyone for my absence from international cricket" - Fawad Alam
But, after that, he didn’t play Tests for the next 11 years. While he was out of the international side, he was scoring a truckload of runs in domestic cricket but was still not getting picked.
Reflecting on Alam’s exclusion from the squad Shoaib Akhtar threw his weight behind the conjectures that Fawad Alam was left out of the squad because of the presence of Punjab-based stakeholders.
He also raised questions on Sarfaraz Ahmed's decision making with respect to the same.
“There is a debate going on that Punjabis kept Fawad Alam out of the [national] team. Misbah was captain for five years and Inzamam was the chief selector, so they kept him out, which is correct.
But Sarfaraz, who belongs to Karachi, was also the captain for three years. Why didn’t he select him? Think about that as well. Don’t put the entire blame on Misbah [and Inzamam],” said Shoaib Akhtar on his Youtube channel.
Shoaib Akhtar further hailed Fawad Alam for his determination and said he brought Pakistan back in the game.
“There was grave injustice done with Fawad and everyone has to accept it. Fawad performed when he played. He has three centuries in eight Test matches. He brought Pakistan back in the game with his determination,” he said.
Fawad Alam was one of the most prolific run-getters for his domestic sides during the time he was out of the side. But, he was ignored by selectors constantly until 2020.
Since his comeback, the left-hand batsman has been in top-notch form, scoring a gritty century in Mount Maunganui before producing a match-winning effort in Karachi.
