Pakistan batter Imam-ul-Haq played a major role in the first Test against New Zealand. His knock of 96 runs brought the hosts back into the game before the match in Karachi ended in a draw. Imam has always been a key player in Pakistan’s lineup ever since he donned the green jersey. So far, the 27-year-old batter has played 19 Tests and 54 ODIs and scored 1322 and 2528 runs, respectively. But being a nephew of legendary cricketer Inzamam-ul-Haq, his journey had never been a simple one as he carried a big burden of expectations.
In a recent interview with Sports Central, the batter revealed that he gets frustrated at times when people compare him with Inzamam.
“Sach batau to dil kaafi dafa kiya hai ki chachu ko bolu ‘meri kya galti thi’.[If I’m being honest, I felt I should tell chachu (Inzamam), ‘what was my mistake?’], Imam told Sports Central.
“But some things come unwanted in your life. People say that I handled it well, but I actually didn’t. I just went with the flow because I had no other option. I came after a long process as well; I played two U19 World Cups, played in 45 first-class matches, and had an average of 50 in the Qaid-e-Azam trophy when I was first picked in the team,” he said in Hindi.
Imam went on to praise Pakistan skipper Babar Azam for his constant support during the tough times.
“Initially, I couldn’t handle the pressure and I won’t lie. I didn’t know what to do. And I would like to mention Babar here. He played a very big role in supporting me. We played a lot of cricket together. And it was vice-versa, if he had doubts, we used to discuss them as well. In my family, we are all fighters and we don’t give up easily. So I kept on putting the hard work and I had good people around me,” he said.
Imam made his international debut in 2017, becoming the second Pakistan cricketer to score a century in first ODI game.
