Riaz, Amir should not have been dropped for Bangladesh T20Is: Inzamam

Pakistan’s legendary former batsman Inzamamul Haq, in a Youtube video on Monday, expressed his surprise at the exclusion of fast-bowlers Wahab Riaz and Mohammad Amir from the Twenty20 International (T20I) squad, announced by head coach-cum-chief selector Misbahul Haq on Thursday, that will take on Bangladesh at home.

The 49-year-old claimed that the duo would be an integral part of the Men in Green’s upcoming 2020 International Cricket Council (ICC) Men’s T20 World Cup campaign and the selectors should take advantage of their experience.

“I could not understand some decisions. Wahab Riaz and Mohammad Amir should not have been dropped. The duo is experienced and the shorter the format, the better they are at bowling. Excluding them because of Test cricket is not the right way to deal with this matter because both of them are seniors and the selectors should take advantage of them as the T20 World Cup is near,” Inzamam said.

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Inzamam was surprised at the amount of changes in the squad but pointed out some decisions that would prove beneficial for the team.

“I was a little surprised with Pakistan’s selection changes for the series against Bangladesh. I don’t think there should be too many changes in one format. I believe that a combination of seniors and juniors makes a team. I think bringing back all-rounders Shoaib Malik and Mohammad Hafeez was a good decision. Selecting fast-bowler Haris Rauf was also a good decision. Batsman Ahsan Ali has performed really well in domestic cricket as well that is why selecting him was a good decision too,” he said.

The former captain backed the dangerous opener Fakhar Zaman to deliver for Pakistan despite his recent struggles in international cricket.

 “Fakhar is dangerous as compared to all the other selected batsmen in all three formats. I know his performances were not good in the previous matches but keeping in mind that his style of play is different, he must be given confidence again,” he said.

Inzamam thanked the Bangladesh team for going ahead with the tour and claimed that the tourists would enjoy the experience because of the passionate fanbase in the country.

“We should be thankful for Bangladesh for coming to Pakistan. I feel that if they had played the entire series in one go that would have been better than playing it in parts. They will enjoy playing here because of the passion for cricket that the fans have,” he concluded.