Glimpses of nepotism in the PSL 3 players draft

The players draft for the upcoming edition of the Pakistan Super League (PSL) was held earlier on Sunday at Lahore, as the franchises completed their nifty pickings in a bid to lift the coveted title. All six franchises of the PSL completed their line-up after picking players from six different categories to bolster their squad ahead of PLS 3. Lahore could pick only 19 players since they exceeded the maximum expenditure cap.

Swashbuckling Australian batsman Chris Lynn and Protea legspinner Imran Tahir were the top picks in the player draft. While Lahore Qalandars and Multan Sultans picked their top players in the first round, it was Islamabad United along with Lahore that finished looking menacing, on paper at least, given the depth of their squads.

Moin Khan selects his son Azam Khan over other deserving players.

However, the culmination of the draft derived that two of the fittest players of Pakistan, Fawad Alam and Shan Masood, were once again neglected at the drafts. This has now raised questions amongst the fans about nepotism. PSL, which was started with the aim to promote talent, has become questionable for many fans after the coach of Quetta Gladiators Moin Khan selected his son Azam Khan over other deserving players.

Fawad Alam, who has registered over 10,000 runs in the domestic cricket has been waiting for long to make comeback in the side. However, despite having umpteen experience under his belt, Alam was not deemed eligible by any of the franchises. Following the retirement of Misbah-ul-Haq and Younis Khan from Test cricket, the left-hander was clearly the first choice to fill in the void.

Neglecting the players like Fawad, Imam, Owais Zia, Shan and others over out of shape players like Azam is a tough call. Even, Imam ul Haq, who is having a good run in the ongoing national T20 Cup, was neglected at the player draft. Only time will unveil if the decision to drop experienced players payoff or not.