Inzamam rubbishes claims that he picked nephew Imam

Justifying himself for not selecting batsman Fawad Alam and instead choosing his nephew Imam ul Haq for upcoming tour of Ireland and England, Pakistan cricket chief selector Inzamam ul Haq has claimed that he was not the one who made the decision.

Inzamam has revealed that he in fact was not the one to decide of bringing in Imam for the upcoming tour. "Picking Imam is a tough decision but this is one decision I didn't take," Inzamam said, quoted ESPNcricinfo.

Inzamam claimed that Imam was already contending for the spot before he became the chief selector, so he shouldn’t be associated with me. "People might be cynical about this but the head coach [Mickey Arthur], batting coach [Grant Flower] and other selectors made the decision to select Imam," he said.

According to Inzamam, he is part of the discussion group, but he didn't say anything about it. "The report given by trainers and coaches about Inam showed a significant improvement in his skill and fitness levels. He was already in the system even before my becoming selector, so associating me shouldn't be a point of discussion," he added.

Pakistan, under the leadership of skipper Sarfraz Ahmed, will play against Ireland, which will be their first-ever Test against Pakistan from May 11 to May 15 in Dublin. Pakistan will then play two Tests against England at Lord’s from May 24 to May 28 and Headingley from June 1 to June 5.