ISLAMABAD-18-year-old all-rounder Ali Imran has not only been creating waves at domestic cricket but also consecutively knocking at the selectors’ door with his outstanding performances.
If players like Ali Imran are given proper chances at first class level first and then at international level, such players can help the national team in registering to crucial and impressive victories.
With the arrival of Inzamam ul Haq as chief selector, it was hoped that merit would prevail and the promising talent would get proper chances to exhibit their prowess and earn place in the national team, but there is a big question mark on his selection too, as many top performers of domestic cricket were once again ignored, who played out their hearts to make their way to the national team but even their outstanding performances couldn’t impress the selectors.
Ali plays for Islamabad North Region in senior category and has scored loads of runs for the last three years, while he has also taken hefty wickets with a healthy strike rate. But like others, Ali has very limited opportunities of showcasing his skills when it comes to playing for Islamabad Region, as despite scoring three consecutive tons in Inter-district U-19 Championship in 2014, where he scores 418 runs with an average of 104.5 and also took nine wickets at an average of 22.56, he was never provided with due right of playing for Islamabad Region senior team, while a number of other players made their debuts because of their strong connections. He has also been rated highly by renowned cricket coaches and pundits, who termed him future star of Pakistan cricket.
Surprisingly, Islamabad Region president Shakil Sheikh, who is a very powerful member of PCB Governing Board, has yet to take notice of this brilliant lad’s back-to-back top class performances. The reason is very simple, as neither he represents Diamond or Classic Clubs, owned by Shakil Sheikh, nor he has been representing East Zone, which is champion for the last two years and has immense amount of talent, but majority of these talented and proven youngsters never get opportunities to fulfill their dreams.
Ali can not only open the innings, but can also bat in the middle as well, while his bowling is added advantage, which Pakistan team badly needs. The PCB should send their army of coaches to other cities to find a number of quality all-rounders. If the PCB provides these promising cricketers with training and facilities, they can become assets for the national team and serve Pakistan cricket for years to come.