Inzamam looks to county cricket to revive Test career
Cricinfo staff
June 29, 2007
Inzamam-ul-Haq, the former Pakistan captain, has expressed his interest in playing county cricket in a bid to regain his Test place.
“I have offers from league clubs in England but I want to play for a county to ascertain my form and fitness for a place in the Test team,” Inzamam said. “I am training hard and am fit. I played a one-day match at the weekend and will continue my efforts to get into the Test side.”
Pakistan selectors have said Inzamam will have to prove his fitness to get a place in the home series against South Africa in late September this year. However, there are no further domestic matches in Pakistan, meaning Inzamam is looking to England to gain match practice.
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“I have been in touch with people,” he said, “and if there is a place vacant in the county I would definitely like to go and play.”
Inzamam, who retired from ODIs after Pakistan’s disastrous World Cup and resigned from the Test captaincy, has never played for a county in a long and illustrious career. Although the Pakistan Cricket Board left him out from their list of centrally-contracted players, the country’s chief selector Salahuddin Ahmed said “the doors of Test cricket are open for him”.
Pakistan’s one-day team are in Scotland for two one-dayers, against the hosts on Sunday at Edinburgh before facing India in Glasgow next Tuesday.
Thats all well and good but I don't want him back on the team. He would have to average 150 or something in county for him to earn a call up to Pakistan. I think its time to move on and get with the younger generation of batsmen.
Thats all well and good but I don't want him back on the team. He would have to average 150 or something in county for him to earn a call up to Pakistan. I think its time to move on and get with the younger generation of batsmen.
Care to name a replacement for him? Or rather name any Pakistani batsman who averages 150 in County? Or maybe 100 in county? Or Maybe 100 in DOMESTIC cricket? Don't talk about things you know nothing about, such as cricket.
I was watching Boolien Kiya Baat Hai and Sallu(Selector) was the guest on the show. and he said in regards to Younis that its all well that he is playing county cricket and since the team is going there for few games, he is already aquainted with the conditions. Inzi playing county is a welcome step for Pakistan and his personal carrier.
I hope he can play County cricket for one season (atleast), so he can be considered truely on merit for the RSA Test matches in Pakistan.
Forget Inzi, news is that MOYO will not be included in 20/20 squad :)
And i really Like this news....Why do Pak need to play Yousaf in 20/20??? Ther are going to be no more than 7 20/20 games ayear...so thats why it makes perfect sence to let to young players play in 20/20.....also hear that even razaaq
Forget Inzi, news is that MOYO will not be included in 20/20 squad :)
And i really Like this news....Why do Pak need to play Yousaf in 20/20??? Ther are going to be no more than 7 20/20 games ayear...so thats why it makes perfect sence to let to young players play in 20/20.....also hear that even razaaq is not going to e considered for 20/20,......another excellent news too as Pak may miss razaaq'sbatting in 20/20....but i will take chances of losing a few games inorder to groom someone younger like Arafat instead of razaaq.
Care to name a replacement for him? Or rather name any Pakistani batsman who averages 150 in County? Or maybe 100 in county? Or Maybe 100 in DOMESTIC cricket? Don't talk about things you know nothing about, such as cricket.
Uhhh...you missed the point there. First, I said that he SHOULD be included if he starts playing outrageously good, such as averaging 150 over a reasonable number of games. Secondly, the fact that he doesn't figure into our future plans should be keeping him out of the squad. Our younger batsmen, though vastly inferior to Inzimam, won't improve if oldies like Inzi keep on hogging the pitch.
Secondly, the fact that he doesn't figure into our future plans should be keeping him out of the squad. Our younger batsmen, though vastly inferior to Inzimam, won't improve if oldies like Inzi keep on hogging the pitch.
For past 4 years we have tried umpteen openers for umpteen series but still couldn't find one, what are the chances that we will find someone half as good as Inzamam? Inzi is not just an oldie, he is a legend.
Uhhh...you missed the point there. First, I said that he SHOULD be included if he starts playing outrageously good, such as averaging 150 over a reasonable number of games. Secondly, the fact that he doesn't figure into our future plans should be keeping him out of the squad. Our younger batsmen, though vastly inferior to Inzimam, won't improve if oldies like Inzi keep on hogging the pitch.
Age or seniority should never determine when a player retires, rather his form and fitness. You only replace a senior player when you have someone good enough to replace him. You don't just kick him out just because he's getting old. Gooch's example is a case in point. He retired at the ripe age of 41 but he was delivering with the bat till then. Even though he was not as good a batsman as Inzi, I have never heard any English player (ex and current) saying that Gooch blocked the entry into the test side of so and so. And believe me no one averaged 150 in 130 odd years of first-class cricket!
Ok, then whats the point of kicking him out of the team in the first place? He was still in decent form back then. The fact is that barring a miracle, he would not be in good enough shape to play at the next world cup and we NEED to groom some batsmen for that tournament. Bringing back Inzi now just so he can play in a couple of matches here and there will do us no good. I personally don't care if we lose all the matches this year. Such is the growing pains of a rebuilding squad. What I care about is that we go into the 2011 World Cup in top form so that we can actually get through the first round and possibly even have a legitimate chance of winning the tournament for a change.
The rebuilding process was working quite well last time around but then the "ball tampering" controversy, players fighting with the coach, players getting caught with performance enhancing drugs, Inzimam turning the squad into a traveling muslim circus etc all hit the team at the same time, which completely screwed over the team. What we need now is a fresh start and to make sure that none of the above mentioned mistakes are repeated.
Ok, then whats the point of kicking him out of the team in the first place? He was still in decent form back then. The fact is that barring a miracle, he would not be in good enough shape to play at the next world cup and we NEED to groom some batsmen for that tournament. Bringing back Inzi now just so he can play in a couple of matches here and there will do us no good. I personally don't care if we lose all the matches this year. Such is the growing pains of a rebuilding squad. What I care about is that we go into the 2011 World Cup in top form so that we can actually get through the first round and possibly even have a legitimate chance of winning the tournament for a change.
The rebuilding process was working quite well last time around but then the "ball tampering" controversy, players fighting with the coach, players getting caught with performance enhancing drugs, Inzimam turning the squad into a traveling muslim circus etc all hit the team at the same time, which completely screwed over the team. What we need now is a fresh start and to make sure that none of the above mentioned mistakes are repeated.
Inzi was never kicked out. And he is most definitely not making a come back into test cricket. The reason he has n't played any ODIs since the World Cup is because he has retired from that form of cricket :)