'Unattractive' Fawad Alam selected in the format he belonged to: Bazid Khan

Former cricketers says the only concern for the Test squad is the form of Junaid Khan

Former Pakistan cricketer Bazid Khan thinks Fawad Alam has finally made his place into the format where he actually belonged – the Tests.

“Fawad Alam has been finally selected for the format he is good at,” said Bazid, while talking to ESPNcricinfo in an interview.

“He has one of the best averages in first-class cricket as a Pakistani but the problem with Fawad is that he doesn’t have a big fan following. He will not get leeway if he doesn’t perform. He is not that attractive a player that people want to see him bat.

“Like Chanderpaul he needs to be churning out runs in Test cricket. He doesn’t have to worry about hitting boundaries. There will be pressure on him as a lot of people are not convinced by his ability. And if he does not succeed quickly there will be a lot of questions asked again.”

When asked about the newcomers’, Amir Yamin and Imran Khan Junior, inclusion in the team against Zimbabwe, Bazid said both were good but the latter would be able to steal the show.

“Amir Yamin has been picked because of his last T20 performance. He won the game for Multan by bowling a lot of slower ones,” said Bazid.

“But the real excitement is Imran Khan Jr. You normally don’t see a bowler with slow pace and a lot of variety. He has excelled in back to back T20 tournaments. He is a wicket-taker for Peshawar. It is good he has been rewarded for domestic performances.”

Bazid also commented on Haris Sohail’s exclusion from all formats saying that it was not right to keep him out of the ODIs.

“Haris Sohail’s exclusion from all three formats is a big surprise. He should have been there, at least, in the One-Day squad. He has been performing well for a couple of years now. He is fit and played in all the games of the National T20; I understand his exclusion from Test cricket but he should not have been dropped from the ODIs,” opined Bazid.

Moreover, Bazid said that Wahab Riaz’s comeback is a good sign for Pakistan while the only worry for the Test squad is in the form of Junaid Khan.

“Wahab is a type of bowler who can pick up form at any time. He just needs a little bit of rhythm and he can be destructive. Wahab is a bowler that you want in the UAE because he is a skiddy bowler and he can get the ball to reverse swing,” said Bazid.

“The only concern for Pakistan is Junaid Khan because in the previous two series he hasn’t bowled well and he might have been lucky to be selected due to a few injuries and a few players who are not available. He is the only player you need to be concerned about otherwise the Test squad is pretty strong and has been doing really well and it will give England a tough time,” concluded Bazid.