Series win: Waqar praises Inzamam for selecting youngsters

Bowling legend says chief selector did what others were reluctant to do

Pakistan bowling legend Waqar Younis praised chief selector Inzamamul Haq on Monday after touring Pakistan beat West Indies 3-1 in the four-match T20I series.

Waqar, who resigned as Pakistan national team’s head coach after the 2016 World T20 debacle and was replaced by South African Mickey Arthur, said Inzamam picked young players for the series against Windies, a risk that no other person was willing to take.

Pakistan included leg-spinner Shadab Khan (man-of-the-series for his 10 wickets in four outings), left-arm pacer Rumman Raees and many other youngsters in the limited-overs squad for the tour of West Indies and they did reap fruits for the T20I side led by wicketkeeper-batsman Sarfraz Ahmed.

Shadab was the key performer for the Men in Green with two man-of-the-match awards in the first two T20Is. Meanwhile, he also made worthwhile contributions in the third and fourth T20Is.

Waqar’s tweet read: “Delighted to see Inzamam doing the job which other selectors were reluctant to do — picking young players [like] Shadab, Hasan [Ali] ,Rumman #GreatJob #WIvPAK”

Delighted 2 c Inzamam doing the job which other selectors were reluctant 2 do. Picking young players !Shadab,Hassan,Rumman #GreatJob #WIvPAK

— Waqar Younis (@waqyounis99) April 2, 2017

Team is developing: Ramiz

Former Pakistan captain Ramiz Raja also praised the young stars for their performances as they featured in the T20I series win against the Caribbean giants.

He said in his tweet: “You know that the team is developing and has a future if all [of] its young recruits feature in a win — Shadab, Hasan, Babar [Azam],Rumman, Imad [Wasim]. Good job!”

U know that the team is developing & has a future if all it's young recruits feature in a win- Shadab, Hassan, Babar,Ruman,imad..good job!

— Ramiz Raja (@iramizraja) April 2, 2017

Need more consistency in batting: Afridi

Former Pakistan veteran all-rounder Shahid Afridi, who led the side in the last World T20 and has been skeptical of the talent coming through the ranks for the national side, praised team’s efforts but hoped for a better show in the batting department.

He tweeted: “Excellent series win, great captaincy Sarfraz, Ahmed [Shahzad] batted well today [in the last T20I], Shadab [is a] fantastic find for Pak[istan]. Hope to see more consistent batting.”

Excellent series win, great captaincy Sarfraz, Ahmed batted well today, Shadab fantastic find for Pak. Hope to see more consistent batting

— Shahid Afridi (@SAfridiOfficial) April 2, 2017

Proud of you: Sethi

Pakistani youngster who helped the team in West Indies owe their national calls to the recently concluded second edition of the Pakistan Super League and the head of the tournament, Najam Sethi, said he was proud of the Sarfraz-led side.

His tweet read: “Well Done Sarfraz. Well Done Shadab. Well Done Team Pakistan! Proud of you guys!”

Well Done Sarfraz. Well Done Shadab. Well Done Team Pakistan! Proud of you guys!

— Najam Sethi (@najamsethi) April 2, 2017

Moreover, legendary pacer Shoaib Akhtar also congratulated Pakistan.

Well done team Pakistan ..gr8 victory...

— Shoaib Akhtar (@shoaib100mph) April 2, 2017

Pakistan now play a three-match ODI series against the hosts on February 7, 9 and 11 at the Providence. The series will end with three-match Test series.