Imam-ul-Haq of Pakistan has said that he once wished to question uncle Inzamam-ul-Haq about the unwarranted similarities drawn between him and the latter. Imam acknowledged that he experienced dissatisfaction throughout the early stages of his profession for the same reason.
The 27-year-old has said that he felt enormous pressure since people had high expectations of him as Inzamam’s nephew. Imam further said that his selection to the national squad was earned by hard work at home and not through the influence of others.
“If I’m being honest, I thought I should tell Chachu (Inzamam) ‘what was my mistake?'” Imam told Pakistan Cricket. “However, certain things in your life are unwelcome. People tell me I handled it well, but I didn’t. I simply went with the flow since I didn’t have any other choice. I also arrived through a lengthy journey; I participated in two U19 World Cups, 45 first-class matches, and had an average of 50 in the Qaid-e-Azam trophy when I was initially called up.”
The southpaw also expressed gratitude to Pakistan captain Babar Azam for his mental assistance early in his career.
“I won’t lie, I couldn’t manage the pressure at first. I had no idea what to do. I’d also want to bring up Babar. He had a significant part in my support. We spent a lot of time playing cricket together. And if he had any reservations, we used to talk about them. My family is made up of warriors who don’t give up lightly. So I continued working hard, and I had nice people around me,” Imam said.
Imam just hit a match-saving 96 in the second innings of the first Test against New Zealand. He will now be trying to repeat his performance when Pakistan meets New Zealand in the second game on January 2 in Karachi.
