'The charm is lost' - Imam-ul-Haq not in favour of playing cricket matches behind closed doors

The outbreak of coronavirus has compelled the world to come to a standstill. More than 2 lakh individuals have succumbed to death so far and the pandemic has raised a major concern across the globe. To tackle the outbreak of COVID-19, most governments have resorted to lockdowns and social distancing. However, the pandemic is still affecting the lives of several individuals.

Along with human existence, the pandemic has also affected the sporting scenario. All major tournaments across every sport have either been called off or postponed in the wake of the outbreak. The fifth season of Pakistan Super League (PSL) was also called off before its semi-finals to tackle the spread of COVID-19.

A lot of uncertainty is hovering around the resumption of cricket tournaments. Moreover, with the T20 World Cup 2020 in sight, many people have suggested playing the sport behind closed doors. This opinion has left the world divided as many cricketers are not in favour of this move.

Pakistan’s opening batsman Imam-ul-Haq has also opined about the idea and has revealed that he is not a fan of playing the sport behind closed doors. However, he is ready to abide by it if the PCB wants do go ahead with the idea.

Imam-ul-Haq bats in favour of crowds in T20 World Cup 2020

“The charm is lost without the crowd and it feels odd playing without them but if that is what the PCB wants then we have to support that,” he said in an online video conference as quoted by Geo tv.

However, the Pakistan batsman expressed that the T20 World Cup in Australia should be played with the crowds. “It’s the ICC’s decision as well as the boards’ but I do think that crowds should be allowed,” said Imam-ul-Haq.

Imam also said that the online fitness tests conducted by the PCB went well as the players have been taking care of their fitness levels amid their quarantine period. He said that he has been spending time in his indoor gym to stay fit until the resumption of sporting activities.

“The fitness tests went exactly like our previous tests. Luckily, I had a gym set up at my home just before the lockdown so I’ve been keeping myself fit and taking help from the trainer,” Imam said.