Pakistan’s all-rounder Imad Wasim believes that the Men in Green are one of the favourites for this year’s T20 World Cup in United Arab Emirates (UAE) and Oman.
While speaking to Cricket Pakistan in an exclusive interview, Imad said that the conditions in UAE will suit Pakistan.
“UAE’s conditions will suit as it is like a home ground for us, having played there for a long period of time. This is why we are also considered as one of the favourites for the tournament. We have skillful players who can take us deep in the championship so we will try to give our 100 per cent on the field,” said Imad.
“We have two or three good series before that [T20 World Cup] and focused on winning that so that we head into the World Cup with rhythm and confidence,” he added.
The Swansea-born also shed light on the difficult time he faced after being dropped from the national side and also losing the central contract.
“Losing the central contract was disappointing but ups and downs, with or without reason, are part and parcel of life. It was a difficult period for me and my family but the only way out of it is to perform well on the field and that is what I’m focused on doing,” he said.
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The 32-year-old is also keen on playing One-day International (ODI) cricket for Pakistan despite being on the sidelines over the past year.
“I want to play ODI cricket and I told everyone about it too. I have only played two or three ODIs since the 2019 World Cup and I don’t know why I was dropped from the side. But that’s the decision of the selectors, coaches and captain and I have to accept it. Although, I will continue playing domestic cricket [List A] and perform to the best of my ability,” he said.
“My rankings in the list of ODI all-rounders has gone down from three to seven because I haven’t played over the past year. I have never showcased my reservations on social media but I think I can still serve Pakistan in ODI cricket and hopefully I will do that in the near future,” he added.
The left-arm spinner was also satisfied with his performance during the recently concluded England tour.
“There were flat wickets in England but I performed well which made me really happy. I could have performed even better but unfortunately we lost the series. My rhythm is good and I feel better body wise as well as batting and bowling,” he said.
He also happy to see top cricketing nations, like England and New Zealand, tour Pakistan after a long period of time.
“It’s a great news that England and New Zealand are touring Pakistan. If crowds are allowed inside the stadium that will be even better. Other countries will have no doubts about touring Pakistan when these two teams come and play here,” he concluded.