No groupings in Pakistan team, says Imad Wasim after returning home

After the battle, its’ time for healing. Pakistan had a shaky start to their campaign at the ICC World Cup 2019 but the end was unreal as they fell short of the semi-finals narrowly. Sarfaraz Ahmed’s side finished at 11 points with four consecutive victories towards the end but even though it put them at par with the Black Caps, the latter went through because of a superior net run-rate.

For a change, Pakistan players returned home despite not producing a result that would have satisfied their supporters. While captain Sarfaraz addressed a press conference at his home town in Karachi on Sunday, two other members of the squad, Imad Wasim and Shadab Khan, spoke at length at another press conference in Islamabad on Monday.

‘We all play for Pakistan’

During addressing the media, left-arm all-rounder Wasim spoke on an important issue. He denied the reports that there is any grouping at play in the Pakistan side as it has been reported. He said had there been any grouping, he himself wouldn’t have played. “We all play for Pakistan. There was a lot of talk after the match versus India but the media should be more careful,” he said. The 30-year-old played six games for Pakistan and scored 162 runs with three forties. With the bowl, he could, however, pick only two wickets.

Imad Wasim "If there were groupings in the team, I wouldn't play. We all play for Pakistan, there was a lot of talk after the match versus India but the media should be more careful" #CWC19 pic.twitter.com/X7qfZQCRHq

— Saj Sadiq (@Saj_PakPassion) July 8, 2019

Wasim also backed Sarfaraz saying he knows the skipper for a long time and that he “is not that type of a person”. He said there has never been any disagreement or dispute, adding to that if there are minor disagreements on the ground and if the captain said something, they had the responsibility to take it as players. Conspiracy theories were doing the rounds after Pakistan’s humiliating loss to India by 89 runs (DLS method) that factionalism in the team was trying to pull Sarfaraz down.

Wasim also criticised the way the media and people treated them after they lost against India. He said it was not right the way the players were being criticised over personal issues after the Old Trafford debacle. He said a match against India is seen as a war but at the end of the day, it is just a game which one can win or lose.