‘Some players living-off one innings, I performed regularly’: Former Pakistan batsman says selectors did not back him

Aslam continued to say that some players lived off one innings while he was even getting picked in domestic cricket.

Several cricketers have spoken out against the culture within Pakistan cricket in recent years. Another former player has given a statement regarding his time in the Pakistan cricket team as he described his experience. Former batsman Sami Aslam, who was also the captain of the Pakistan U-19 cricket team at the 2014 Cricket World Cup, has spoken against the ‘favoritism culture’ that existed in the Pakistan team before.

Sami Aslam drops a catch during day five of the second Test match between Australia and Pakistan at Melbourne Cricket Ground on December 30, 2016. (Getty Images)

Aslam said in an interview with Pak Passion that even though the selectors are speaking about giving players opportunities now, it wasn’t the case when he was part of it. Sami Aslam’s last series for Pakistan was in October 2017 vs Sri Lanka.

"The biggest problem is that the people they should be backing and giving opportunities to are not allowed to settle and after a couple of low scores they were dropped. Now the selectors speak about giving players proper opportunities, well that wasn’t the case in the past when they would side-line any decent opening batsman if he had two low scores. You will never develop good cricketers if the culture of favouritism isn’t eradicated," said Sami Aslam.

Aslam continued to say that some players lived off one innings while he was even getting picked in domestic cricket.

"I spoke to so many people. I asked a lot of questions about why I wasn’t being picked, why I was being treated in this way, but nobody had any answers. Nobody would take any responsibility and they would blame somebody else. Whereas some players are living-off one innings, I performed regularly but still couldn’t get picked even in domestic cricket," Sami Aslam added.