I am not sure why but I have very mixed feelings about it. I feel bad for these players as well as for Pakistan. I can think of only two reasons behind this decision. First, omission from the Twenty20 World Cup and second is money.
I tried to collect some Twenty20 statistics for these players and here is what I have found:
Name Mat Inns NO Runs HS Ave BF SR
Abdul Razzaq 12 11 2 327 63 36.33 218 150
M. Yousaf 8 7 0 135 30 19.28 113 119.46
Inzamam-ul-Haq 2 2 1 32 21 32.00 37 86.48
Imran Farhat 11 11 1 363 115 36.30 220 165.0
Looking
at the stats above, Imran Farhat should have been a clear choice ahead of all four. An amazing average of 36+ with an astonishing strike rate of 165 is an automatic qualification for the team. Scoring a century requires some sheer hitting and talent, and stats indicate Farhat has all of it.Abdul
Razaq is not far behind. He averages 36 with a strike rate of 150. I really don’t understand the reason behind his omission from the team. PCB states that Razzaq’s form in past two years has deteriorated. Which is true if you go by the stats, but can you replace his experience? What made them think that he would not be able to perform in Twenty20 either?
I can understand Inzamam and Yousuf not being included. No doubt they are the greats of cricket but may not be useful for this type of cricket. Average score for Inzi and Yousuf (32 and 19 respectively) is not enough to prove their skills in this fast paced format.
On the other hand one thing bothers me a lot. If they went to ICL for money, does it mean they never played for the pride? Was it always money? I hear them all the time saying, "I play for my country. I am a Pakistani first and then a cricketer". Where did that pride go? I feel disgusted by the thought that they were playing cricket as a profession and not passion.
I wish best for PCB and the players. I hope, one day, we will see the same level of cricket we saw decades ago.
Good bye and good night.
-Shaheed
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