'They call me slip in front of my parents', Imam-ul-Haq's pain spilled over Nepotism

 

Imam-ul-Haq is going to be a very important player for the Pakistan cricket team in the upcoming Asia Cup and World Cup. At present, Imam is running in excellent form and his form is a warning bell for the rest of the teams. Imam has cemented his place as an ODI opener in the Pakistani team, but seeing him playing in the Pakistani team, some critics also taunt him for nepotism.

Former Pakistan captain Inzamam-ul-Haq is Imam's uncle and trollers feel that Imam is playing in the Pakistan team because of him. However, this is a misconception because if you look at the statistics, you will understand that Imam has consistently scored runs for the Pakistani team but the tag of nepotism will probably never leave Imam. Now Imam himself has spoken openly on nepotism and revealed that people pass him off in front of his parents as well.

Speaking on Daniel Shaikh's podcast, Imam said, “When I used to go out for dinner with my family, they would come and call me slip in front of my parents. I would be sitting with my family at Nando's and there would be young students quipping, 'Look, Parchi is sitting there.' I used to feel worst when this happened. 'My parents wanted to see me play, but they never saw me play at any venue even once. Even I don't want my mother to hear the word 'slip' when I am fielding at the boundary. All this is normal for me. Whenever I get out cheaply, they will not see what I have achieved in my past, they just talk nonsense. I don't want my family to come in contact with it."

Imam also said that his sister saw him playing for the first time as recently as 2022. Speaking further, Imam said, “The first time my sister saw me play was in 2022, when both West Indies (ODIs) and England (a Test match) played in Multan. By then I was a senior member of the team. The fact that my family could not attend the matches was mental torture for me."