Mohammad Amir's inclusion is surely arguable: Moin Khan

Former Pakistani wicket-keeper Moin Khan is absolutely disgusted to see the dismal show by Pakistan in New Zealand. Pakistan faced an embarrassing 2-0 defeat at the hands of hosts New Zealand in the recently concluded Test series. Moin was miffed with the way no batsman showed courage to counter-attack when the chips were down.

During an interaction with media at Karachi, Moin Khan lambasted the performance of the Pakistan team. He said that the team has always been known for playing fearlessly. However, it was not to be seen in New Zealand. “Pakistan was always known for playing fearless cricket, we missed this flare in last two games. No batsman bothered to step out and charge attack against the opponent bowlers,” Moin quoted.

The former chief selector added that the unpredictable nature of the team comes from the aggression. “I agree that Pakistan is known for being unpredictable, but the reason behind our unpredictable tag was because of our aggressive cricket. We didn’t look aggressive at all there (in New Zealand),” he added further.

Mohammad Amir hasn’t looked the same ever since he made his comeback in the national side. Moin Khan is very aware of it and feels Amir should step up else make way for someone like Junaid Khan. “Aamir’s inclusion is surely arguable. He must prove that he’s a match-winner and selection committee must make him realise that there are bowlers like Junaid Khan and Tabish, who can replace him in the national team as they both are in good form,” said the former cricketer.

Younis Khan, the senior most batsman in the team, had a dismal show on the personal front. Moin feels that Younis must score in the series against Australia else there are youngsters waiting in the wings to get a chance. “I will only suggest him to score maximum as he can in the upcoming series. I cannot tell him that his time is over or not, he is player of such a calibre that he would prefer to go himself when he feels that his time is up now,” mentioned Moin Khan.

Moin’s son was recently picked up for Pakistan U19 squad. However, he was later omitted from the squad citing his over age. The wicket-keeper commented on the issue saying that it was the fault of the selectors. He, however, added that he had no grudges against anyone regarding the issue.

“If my son was over aged, then he shouldn’t have been picked in the first place, this is sheer negligence by the selectors and I hope PCB will question them. I don’t have any grudges against anyone and I don’t find any conspiracy behind Azam’s exclusion from the team,” he conceded.