"I am frequently targeted, the best answer I can give is in the ground" : Imam-ul-Haq

[Abdullah719]

Imam-ul-Haq speaking in a media talk:

"Playing the short ball isn't difficult but when we play on wickets in Dubai and then go to South Africa, the difference is very large which makes it difficult. Our players play the short ball well but they are not routinely used to it now because in Dubai it doesn't bounce like in SA. We weren't used to it but in the 2nd or 3rd Test there was improvement"

"Playing in Pakistan is a wish for every player, it will be great for the players and for the crowds that some matches of PSL will be played in Pakistan. We will send out a message once again that Pakistan is a safe country"

"In Test matches we learnt quite a lot, in the ODIs we were unfortunate despite playing well. It rained in one match which changed the complexion of the game, overall it was an enjoyable tour"

"As for the signals (finger on lips etc.), it happens sometimes in frustration. I respect everyone. I am frequently targeted, the best answer I can give is in the ground. Talking outside the ground won't help, I will always try to answer my critics with the bat. I respect everyone, obviously talking is their job and I can't stop them, but I will try to make them be quiet thanks to my performances"

"Pakistan has always been thought of as an unpredictable team in tournaments so I think it will be considered one of the dangerous teams"

"We are all the same players and a collective team, it wasn't any different with Shoaib bhai captaining, he leads well as does Saifi bhai"

"Since two years, we've had the same captain. The captain hasn't been changed, he's just been banned for a couple of matches, he (Sarfaraz Ahmed) is still the captain. Nothing has changed, Shoaib bhai is the stand-in captain"

[Hyperion66]

Honest and straight forward interview, thrashing haters both on and off the field, way to go kid!!

[YousafTheBeast]

No one cares, Imam.

Time to increase the SR or your haters will be on your back throughout your career.

[gazza619]

No one cares, Imam.

Time to increase the SR or your haters will be on your back throughout your career.

To be fair Imam is in a team which has a lot of passengers. He is the most improved player from the SA tour and has convinced me to believe in him.

[Mueez]

Promising lad.

Keep your head down and work towards glory!

[YousafTheBeast]

To be fair Imam is in a team which has a lot of passengers. He is the most improved player from the SA tour and has convinced me to believe in him.

The guys SR is 77 in List A cricket, that shows you he’s never had the ability to change gears, which is critical for a top order batsman.

You can’t just get in and score less than a run a ball 60-70 and throw it away, a good player will always cash in and convert it to a hundred with a SR of at least 85+.

[gazza619]

The guys SR is 77 in List A cricket, that shows you he’s never had the ability to change gears, which is critical for a top order batsman.

You can’t just get in and score a run a ball 60-70 and throw it away, a good player will always cash in and convert it to a hundred with a SR of at least 85+.

So his international SR is 85 which is already higher than his List A SR of 77, does that not tell a story of improvement?

Imam will never be a Warner or a Kohli or a Sharma. Imam will be Imam and currently Pakistan needs him to play the game he is playing..(and continue to improve)...

[jnaveen1980]

I think he is referring to PP posters who are against him Ideally he should set the platform and get out around 35th over hand over the acceleration to big hitters.

[YousafTheBeast]

So his international SR is 85 which is already higher than his List A SR of 77, does that not tell a story of improvement?

Imam will never be a Warner or a Kohli or a Sharma. Imam will be Imam and currently Pakistan needs him to play the game he is playing..(and continue to improve)...

Strike rate is 81, and I expect that to go lower after the series in England.

He’s just another Azhar Ali

[TheSensible]

Unless he's criticized uncharacteristically more than other Pakistan players, he's got a bad case of victim mentality. He's seems to be constantly bemoaning about being the victim to criticism every time he's interviewed, like it's unique only to him.

[PakLFC]

He's hardly Brian Lara that he can't be criticised. He is rightfully targeted when he fails to perform which is more often then not.

[yuvi]

Best batsman Pakistan has at the moment.

[Abdullah719]

Unless he's criticized uncharacteristically more than other Pakistan players, he's got a bad case of victim mentality. He's seems to be constantly bemoaning about being the victim to criticism every time he's interviewed, like it's unique only to him.

Let me give you an example of the type of media tactics that are common.

A sports 'journalist' on a major news channel did a segment on this media talk from Imam.

"We are all the same players and a collective team, it wasn't any different with Shoaib bhai captaining, he leads well as does Saifi bhai"

"Since two years, we've had the same captain. The captain hasn't been changed, he's just been banned for a couple of matches, he (Sarfaraz Ahmed) is still the captain. Nothing has changed, Shoaib bhai is the stand-in captain"

The anchor showed the video of the above quote in bold, and then stopped it at that, omitting the part where Imam said that Sarfaraz is still the captain and that nothing has changed; he then sarcastically said something along the lines of 'Well, Imam has now said that Shoaib Malik leads as well as Sarfaraz so he's given his decision about the leadership of the side' implying that Imam has picked sides here, preferring Malik over Sarfaraz.

Anyway, all players receive frequent criticism in the media but the problem is that it is heavily agenda based and personal, rather than constructive criticism. You won't see many talking about Imam needing to improve his ODI strike-rate and his boundary hitting rate; rather, they will focus on Inzi being his uncle and what not, and how PCB has allowed this to happen, and how there is absolutely no justification for his selection. Some prominent journalists who have a large media following have also been making graphs with fake stats about his ODI record; most people won't even bother checking to confirm if the stats are correct or not, so they'll fake them at face value. This isn't criticism or wanting the betterment of the team, it's simply furthering certain agendas.

In contrast to that, you will see most of the criticism from PP posters tends to be more nuanced. Focusing on Imam's short-comings in terms of scoring rate, his technical weaknesses in the longer format, etc.

[JibranAnsari]

As long as keeps performing no one should worry what he says.

[Hawkeye]

Ok now Imam, I kind of like you but don't start this victim mentality and make everything about you, or the criticism on you.

You've faced things nowhere near to what others have gone through. People like Misbah and Umar Akmal.

Just bow down your head and don't run your mouth all the time, just perform.