Fawad Alam thanks his supporters for having his backing

The exclusion of Fawad Alam from the 16-member squad for the upcoming Test series against Sri Lanka which was announced on Sunday baffled Pakistan cricket fans. Interestingly, this is not the first time this year that Alam was neglected despite a rich record in first-class cricket.

In May, his exclusion, according to him, was due to what goes on behind the scene and the persistent ‘liking’ and ‘disliking’ in the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB). Alam’s claim made sense then and continues to be a valid argument even now because if the criteria for selection in the national team is performance then he makes a strong case.

The numbers establish that his performance has been on the consistent side for some time now. In the last three years of first-class cricket, Haris Sohail with 0 matches, 0 runs was selected but Fawad with 2070 runs and an average of 59.14 was not selected.

Even if fitness as a criterion in selection has been closely looked at in recent times that too, cannot be a reason for his exclusion because the 31-year-old takes his fitness seriously. In fact, he has often mentioned that as long as one is fit and performing, the eyes of selectors will also be on them.

What Fawad Alam said on Twitter:

Today, he took to Twitter to thank his supporters to stand by him during this rough patch of his, saying, “Dear all, thank you so much for the love you have showed me in recent days.working hard for QAT, need ur pray and support..”

Dear all,thank you so much for the love you have showed me in recent days.working hard for QAT, need ur pray and support..

— Fawad Alam (@iamfawadalam25) September 25, 2017

When the squad was announced, fans took to the social media platform to express their dissent and disagreement with the selectors. However, Alam has accepted this move maturely and added that he was working in order to excel in the Quaid-e-Azam Trophy.

Pakistan could well utilize his unorthodox batting technique as a bonus. Moreover, after the departure of Misbah-ul-Haq and Younis Khan from their national side, the middle-order has been left with a void. Alam, with his unorthodox technique and the advantage of the left-hand-right-hand combination. But, the selectors have the final call and Alam can only do his bit by performing consistently.