"Cried In Shower For Hours": Imam-ul-Haq On Facing Nepotism Taunts

Imam-ul-Haq has proved his calibre in international cricket and continues to be a regular for Pakistan. He had got off to a glorious start in cricket with a century against Sri Lanka on his debut. Though Imam has hogged limelight due to his ability to drive the ball off the hips, he has faced fair share of criticism as well.

Imam-ul-Haq has faced nepotism jibes on social media, which he admittedly could not bare with for a lot of times. As he happens to be the nephew of Pakistan great Inzamam-ul-Haq, many think that was the reason of his selection, and often criticise him when he fails to perform. What makes the scenario worse for Imam is, he was picked up in the squad when v was the chairman of selector.

Imam said that when he started to face all the criticism due to nepotism, he used to have his meal alone. He also said that he cried for hours in the shower during that phase. The 24-year-old was also surrounded with thoughts like, he is still to make his debut, and his career might be over if he fails to perform.

“When all of this started happening, I would have my meals all alone. It was my first tour and you know how it can get on the first tour. And whenever I would open my phone, there were people tagging me on social media posts or sending me stuff. I was very disheartened and couldn’t understand anything,” he told Deep Dasgupta on ESPNcricinfo.

“I remember crying in the shower for hours that I haven’t even played yet [he played the third ODI of the series in Abu Dhabi]. It’s very easy for young players to get surrounded by self-doubt. The only thing running constantly in my mind was that I haven’t even played [for the national team] yet, what if I play and don’t perform well?

“Then my career will be over. I wouldn’t step a foot out of my room, fearing people might trouble me outside because there is a large Pakistan community in Dubai,” he added.

Imam will be next seen in action during the England tour. He is currently practicing with the team for the series.

The left-handed batsman has scored at an average nearly 54 in the ODIs and 25.52 in Tests.