The Pakistani Spectator

He adds another count to the most amazing ‘strikers’ list of Pakistan Cricket.  An excellent smasher of the ball, unanimously known for his on-field stunts and turns in the air, Imran Nazir is a performer that cricket geeks have ever dreamt of. In all probability, he is the only player, along with Shahid Afridi, to attain the reputation of a smash-hitter and aggressiveness with the bat, in all sorts of the game.

His career best figures, 160, came in the last league match of Pakistan in the World Cup 2007 against Zimbabwe.  At that point his inclusion in the team for the future games seemed to be confirmed but the wounded PCB administration, at that time, had many other things to look for else than is performance.  He was, for sure, awarded the central contact but later he joined the rebel Indian Cricket League (ICL) following that he was offered huge sums of money.

He was recalled to the ODI side after the conclusion of ICC World Twenty20 in England.  Before this, many thought he would be integrated with the World Cup Twenty20 squad but unfortunately he wasn’t.  On the contrary, his ally in the ICL league, Abdur Razzaq was recalled for the event.  Later Wasim Bari, the Pakistan’s interim chairman of selectors pardoned Imran for not offering him the same position as Abdur Razzaq.  He later made his comments to the press “If I’d had anything to do with the selection of the T20 squad then I’d have picked Imran Nazir.”

On July 22, 2009, he was summoned up to Pakistan’s one-day international squad after two years.  This was not the first time he was recalled after being dropped from the international squad.  In his ten year career he has been dropped then picked, then again re-dropped – again re-picked for numerous times. He first represented Pakistan against Sri Lanka in March, 1999.  He has had intermittently appearances since then.  One of the main reason for this, as explained by all the selection committees throughout his career that he is used to of playing strokes of which most of them turn out to be good, but some, miserably, fall on the wrong place and that’s the way he mostly gives his wicket away – without putting much score on the board.

For all of the time all the way through his career he has been opening the batting for Pakistan.  He had been paired with many experienced players like Saeed Anwer and Shahid Afridi.  In 2007 he was given a chance, his biggest so far, to make a permanent place in the team but he didn’t bear out, only scoring a mere fifty in the first game and got out early in the rest of the games.  Similar chances have been granted to him before and ever since, but he is unable to carve a permanent place in the squad – he has not been up to snuff.

The lad is only 27 now; he has played only 76 ODIs of which he has made only two centuries and nine half centuries with an average of 24.89.  His strike rate is 80.93, which is, along with his fielding, one of the main reasons for keeping him in the light of selection.

He has plenty of time left in his international career.  He is expected to play for more than a decade, provided he keeps himself fit and healthy.  He is still opening the batting and is little successful. He needs to improve to make himself one of the craziest cricketers who have ever played for Pakistan.