'Phir se drop kardiya' - Fans react as Imam-ul-Haq drops tweet targetting Pakistan Cricket's decision to drop him for ODIs against New Zealand

Imam-ul-Haq had cautioned against toying with Pakistan's underwhelming middle order with just a few ODIs left to play before the 50-over World Cup after the side jumped out to an unstoppable 3-0 series lead over New Zealand. Imam, the third ODI's player of the match, was particularly unconvinced by the idea of using Mohammad Haris or Iftikhar Ahmed as middle-over power hitters.

However, as things turned out, Imam was the one who was dropped for the fourth ODI and the final ODI. Taking an indirect dig at Pakistan Cricket's decision, Imam chose to drop a reassuring tweet for himself. He wrote, "Life is an unexpected journey, so never expect anything from anyone. Be patient; Allah is watching."

'We don't have time to do experiments' – Imam-ul-Haq

"To be honest, I don't think so because we don't have time to do experiments," he said. "With Agha , Shadab , and Nawaz, we have enough power-hitting to improvise. It's just a matter of giving them confidence. Their stats aren't as big as we have in the top three, and it's tough for them because they get five to six overs, but their chip-in is impactful and useful."

"Both Nawaz and Shadab are outstanding allrounders, so we have to give them the confidence," Imam said. "Babar might be thinking differently, but that is what I feel. We have only two games left, and it's really very important to go into a bigger tournament; you have to be settled as much as you can with your main players. We have very little cricket, and I don't think we have enough time to find a workaround.

"But I feel within 11 to 35 overs we need to take wickets in them, and we aren't able to fetch enough. Sometimes, I feel this is missing, and if our spinners in the middle start taking wickets, then the match will be a lot more in our control. Today , we took wickets in middle overs; hence we managed to reduce them to under 270. So going forward, I think fielding and fitness is another department we should make a difference. Catches on crucial stages become very important," he added.

Here's how fans reacted:

Lagta bhai aaj bhi haris aur iftikhar khel rahy hen xD

— unparh_usama (@UsamaBarkat1) May 7, 2023

Aj phir drop kr dia?

— Ehtisham Siddique (@iMShami_) May 7, 2023

Unfair with Imam. He should be included in the playing 11.

— King Babar Azam Army (@babarazamking_) May 7, 2023

Prank hua hai bhai ke saath 😭😭
koi na stay strong 💞 pic.twitter.com/dBST5nbIAI

— anam (@CmonCheeks) May 7, 2023

Who hurt you my boyyy ??

— DEFINITELY 🇵🇰🕊️ (@coverdrivew) May 7, 2023

stay strong imam. You are champ

— Suban Iqbal (@suban_iqbal) May 7, 2023

I believe Mickey Arthur has arrived. If you don't have the power to decide who should or shouldn't play, don't voice your view.

— PakCricNews 🇵🇰🇭🇲 (@OZPAKCRIC) May 7, 2023

Is this related to your presser about experimenting?

— Khawaja M Reza Arbab (@RezaArbab) May 7, 2023