Imam carries the burden of being Inzamam's nephew

Abu Dhabi - Questions arise over his selection in Pakistan team, but 21-year-old replied with ton on debut

Imam-ul-Haq is a 'mature' person. He silenced his detractors with a scintillating performance on debut against Sri Lanka in the UAE capital on Wednesday. Being the nephew of chief selector Inzamam ul Haq has put the 21-year-old under constant scrutiny of media and critics. 'Why is he selected in the squad' was the burning question.

Inzamam had to even defend his choice. "Why is everyone focusing on Imam," he had asked at a press conference earlier this month in Dubai.

Inzamam knows too well what pressure does to a young player. Faisal Iqbal, nephew of Javed Miandad, was once touted as a replacement for the likes of Inzamam and Younis Khan but constant pressure and political interference saw him slip into oblivion.

"With so much criticism, I was under pressure when I landed in the UAE. However, the team, including seniors, supported me immensely." Imam said after scoring a century on debut - the second Pakistan player to do so.

"It's not my fault that I am his nephew. What can I do," he asked during the press conference as questions were again raised about 'Ul Haq' connection.

"It (criticism) doesn't matter to me at all. I have self-belief and I have grown up in this (cricketing) family. So, I am mature. It is always best to perform on the field. If I don't do well then I will be criticised," Imam pointed out.

Interestingly, both 'Ul Haq' members made their debut at the age of 21. More comparisons will be drawn as Imam continues his international life.

"I can't answer everyone but best way is to perform and I will continue to do that. There will be failure but I am not scared as it is part of every cricketer's life. To be a good cricketer, you have to take failures and critics in a positive way. All these people are older to me and I don't want to answer anyone back. All of them will be thinking for the betterment of Pakistan, however, I will try to answer everyone with my bat," the opener said after a score of 100.

Reflecting on his century, which was an outing of unbelievable composure, he said: "It's a great feeling to score a century on debut and have some records in it."

There was drama when on 89 runs, he was given out and later it was found the keeper hadn't collected the ball cleanly. "Then I thought to have missed my best opportunity to score a hundred on debut. I felt very sad and upset as I was so close (to the century) but then (Mohammed) Hafeez told me the ball hadn't carried. I was very lucky."

He added: "Hafeez supported me a lot. In the closing stages, I had cramps but he encouraged me to carry on. He told me not to leave the field without scoring a century. Even before the start of the match, he had told me that I would be scoring a hundred."

Imam is ready to soak the pressure of international cricket and said to have benefitted from U-19 World Cup 2014 and Asian Cricket Council Emerging Teams Cup experiences.

"When you represent your country in U-19 World Cup, the pressure is the same. Experience helps a lot. I have played here before. I was familiar with the wickets here but weather was a bit different now as I had played in January before," the Ul Haq added confidently.

ashwani@khaleejtimes.com