'Neglected' Pak batsman Faisal Iqbal claims he's been "victimised by PCB"

Karachi, August 25 : Pakistan batsman Faisal Iqbal has accused the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) of victimising him, and said that the blame for the lack of attention towards him goes to the selectors and the key board officials.

“I have been victimised by the PCB and this has forced me into speaking with the media. Over the years, I have been affected by this, but I decided to speak out now. Players are coming into the side that have performed for a year or two, while I have been performing for numerous years in the domestic circuit,” PakPassion.net quoted Faisal, as saying.

When asked on whom the blame should be laid upon when it came to his “victimization”, Faisal blamed a whole host of people without taking names.

“The blame for the lack of attention towards me has to go to the selectors and the main PCB officials. No one comes forward and tell me what is wrong with my game. My performances are there for the selectors to see, but I don’t even get called to the academy,” he stated, expressing his “shock” at not receiving an invite to the recently conducted NCA camp in Lahore.

Faisal, who has played only 26 matches and 18 One-day Internationals (ODIs) during a career spanning over ten years, complained about the lack of guidance and planning shown towards him by the PCB.

“The Academy or PCB think tank has never thought about how to use me properly. They have never done any planning for me in regards to my development. They have never helped me analyse my faults and haven’t guided me. I have always had to compile my own videos and analyse by myself. I have had to put in all of this hard work, alone,” he rued.

Faisal also talked about being groomed for the middle order position during his younger days.

“I was being groomed for the middle order position amongst Inzamam ul Haq and Mohammad Yousuf. The point was for me to replace them after their retirements. However, even after they have left, I am being kept out of the side,” he complained.

Expressing disappointment over the way he was treated by the board, Faisal urged the PCB Chairman Ijaz Butt, the governing board and other concerned officials to “look into my matter closely and do me justice.”