Rashid Latif has welcomed the inclusion of middle-order batter Fawad Alam in the Test squad for the Sri Lanka series, saying that despite a stellar first-class record, his career has seen many ups and downs.
“Fawad Alam is among the top batters in the history of first-class cricket. He saw many ups and downs including ten years of gap in international cricket. The career of Fawad Alam is a case study. PCB should make a documentary on the career of Fawad Alam.”
Fawad Alam, who made his international debut in 2009, was left out of the Test squad, but his decade-long wait ended when he was named in Pakistan’s playing XI for the second Test against England in Southampton.
Supporting the inclusion of former captain, Sarfaraz Ahmad, in the squad, Rashid said that the team must have a solid backup for Rizwan and that Sarfaraz is the ideal candidate in red-ball cricket.
“Inclusion of Mohammad Haris cannot sideline Sarfaraz Ahmed. You need a backup wicketkeeper in Test cricket of the standards equivalent to Mohammad Rizwan and Sarfaraz Ahmed is the only name right now who can perform wicket-keeping five days in a Test match.”
The cricket board was criticized after the selection committee left Sarfaraz out of the national squad for the ODI series against the West Indies, but he has now been named in the Test squad.
While answering a question regarding Mohammad Rizwan’s performance, he stated, “Mohammad Rizwan is the backbone of Pakistan cricket right now and he should perform across all three formats of the game.”
