Cricket and controversies in Pakistan are inextricably linked. Though Pakistan cricket has had its fair share of infamous moments, their selection policy has recently come under scrutiny. Mohammad Amir, Junaid Khan, and Wahab Riaz have all accused the national selection of favouritism, bias, and unfairness.Now, veteran all-rounder Shoaib Malik has backed their claim with strong words.
The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) has been accused of nepotism by Shoaib Malik. According to the 2017 Champions Trophy winner, team selections are made based on connection rather than results. The star all-rounder also said that Pakistan cricket can only progress if players are chosen on merit rather than by connections.
Malik has been out of the national side of late, having withdrawn fromODI cricket after the 2019 World Cup and Test cricket even earlier. He last represented Pakistan in a T20 series in England in September of last year. However, the veteran cricketer said that rather than remaining silent on the issue, he is willing to risk his career
“Whatever is in my fate is in the possession of the Almighty and beyond the influence of everyone. If I am not asked to play again, I will have no regrets, but I will have more regrets if I had not spoken up on behalf of my fellow cricketers,” Malik said.
“In cricket, we have a system of liking and disliking, which is something that exists in other cultures as well, but seems to be more prevalent in oursThe day things change in our cricket system where more importance is given to skills rather than who a person knows, only then will things improve,” he was quoted as saying by Pakistani journalist Saj Sadiq.
The Zimbabwe series did not include a couple of Babar's recommended players. Malik emphasised this by claiming that the captain should control the selection process and that his decision should be final.
