Wrong World Cup selection, unchanged mindset overshadows Inzamam’s term: Raja

With the era of Inzamam-ul-Haq as the chief selector of Pakistan cricket coming to an end, former captain-turned-cricket commentator Ramiz Raja has termed Pakistan’s wrong World Cup selection as one of the big misses of Inzamam’s three and half years tenure.

“Inzamam didn’t do the World Cup selection right, because there was a lot of confusion, and it was a hit and a miss kind of a situation. Secondly, the mindset didn’t get changed as one creates a mindset through selection, you put pressure on the captain regarding the brand of cricket one wants to play,” said Raja.

However, Raja pointed out the arrival of youngsters into the Pakistan cricket circuit, as one of the major plus of Inzamam’s tenure. “Inzamam did bring in newer players during his tenure, giving Pakistan a number of stars for the future that includes Shaheen Shah Afridi, Babar [Azam] and Imam-ul-Haq, which was a controversial selection as he was Inzamam’s nephew, despite him [Imam] being a talented cricketer.”

The former captain gave the example of England that made major changes in their cricketing culture in the past four years, bringing in flair and entertainment into their limited overs cricket. “Unfortunately, Pakistan remains imprisoned in the bubble of 80s and 90s, which remained to be sorted out.”

Just days ago, Inzamam announced that he will be stepping down from his post of Pakistan cricket chief selector, as he would not seek a contract renewal. The decision came after Pakistan ended their World Cup campaign, after failing to make into the semifinals of the tournament.