Khurram Manzoor highlights own performance, criticizes team selection

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Former Pakistan cricketer Khurram Manzoor has compared the Indian Premier League (IPL) to the Pakistan Super League (PSL). 

Khurram also argued that it is not fair to compare the two leagues as the financial investment in players is vastly different. 

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The player also highlighted that the quality of cricket in the PSL is better than that in the IPL.

"You cannot compare IPL to PSL because Quetta Gladiators was sold for PKR 8 Cr in the first season and Sam Curran alone cost Punjab Kings INR 18 Cr, equivalent to PKR 50 Cr," said Khurram.

"The quality of cricket in PSL is better than IPL. In PSL, every team has four bowlers who can bowl at 90MPH while in IPL, there is hardly one bowler per team who can clock at 90MPH," he maintained.

The player also stated that his own performance in List A cricket is better than that of Indian cricketer Virat Kohli.

 Despite this, the national team has ignored the player and has no idea why. 

"My conversion rate in List A cricket is better than Virat Kohli; I take fewer innings on average to score a hundred than Kohli. Kohli scores a hundred after every six innings, I score a hundred after every 5.7 innings, but I have no idea why I have been ignored," said Khurram.

"I am among the top five batters with the highest average in List A cricket in the last ten years; I have 24 hundred in last 48 innings, I have scored the most hundreds as an opener in National T20 and have the most runs in domestic cricket as an opener since 2015," he added.

Pakistan Super League (PSL) has a better standard than IPL, as the boundaries in PSL are 75m while in IPL are 60m, and that PSL pitches have more variety than IPL.

 The 36-year-old also said that Sarfaraz Ahmed is a better decision-maker than Babar Azam as he has more experience.

"Sarfaraz Ahmed is a better decision-maker than Babar Azam. He has won Pakistan the U19 World Cup, the Champions Trophy, and 11 series in a row, Pakistan was No. 1 in T20Is under Sarfaraz, and he also won the PSL title with Quetta."

"Babar Azam is still learning as captain, and it shows on the field, while Sarfaraz Ahmed is experienced and he is naturally gifted as a captain," said Khurram.

When asked about Mickey Arthur as a coach and his inability to make his name in the national team, Khurram Manzoor said.

"There is liking and disliking here. Mickey Arthur came in 2016, chose 30 players from Pakistan, and decided to keep playing them only. I was not in those 30 players, and he never considered me for selection. Mickey didn't like me despite of my performances," he said.

"Bangladesh offered me nationality in 2009, and they wanted me to represent Bangladesh, but I always wanted to play for my country," he concluded.

Reminder for all is that Pakistan batter Khurram Manzoor has played only seven ODI matches for Pakistan and scored 236 runs, including three half-centuries. He last played an ODI match against Sri Lanka way back in 2009.