Pakistan all-rounder Imad Wasim may have not played a T20I after T20 World Cup 2021 semi-final loss to Australia but he is still proving that he is a utility player in the short format. In the ongoing Caribbean Premier League (CPL) 2022, Imad bowled two maiden overs and picked up three wickets for Jamaica Tallawahs against Barbados Royals.
Tallawahs skipper introduced the left-arm spinner in the powerplay overs. After bowling four consecutive dot balls, Rahkeem Cornwall was deceived by extra pace and got bowled. He started off with a wicket-maiden. He followed it up with an even better over. He got the wicket of Kyle Mayers followed by Corbin Bosch. Mayers managed to score just a single off 17 deliveries whereas Bosch got stumped out for a four-ball duck.
After not conceding a single run and taking three wickets from his first two overs, Imad was hit for fours by Quinton de Kock and Azam Khan. He conceded 14 runs in his third over and did not get to bowl the last over of his quota in the innings.
His first spell made him the pick of the bowlers. In the same game, his former teammate Mohammad Amir conceded just 21 runs and got the wicket of Royals' skipper David Miller in the death overs (34).
The impact of Imad’s spell was such that Royals managed to post a mediocre total of 146/6 even after De Kock's 43-ball 74 which included seven fours and three sixes.
Tallawahs won the game by six runs as per Duckworth Lewis Stern (DLS) method. Opener Brandon King scored 46 runs from 33 deliveries. With useful contributions from Amir Jangoo (29), Shamarh Brooks (19) and skipper Rovman Powell (12), Tallawahs managed 126/5 in 17 overs and won the game.
In the last game, Imad played for Pakistan he went for 25 runs in three overs he bowled. Pakistan ended up losing the semi-final against Australia, thanks to Matthew Wade's three sixes off Shaheen Shah Afridi.
Pakistan announced their T20 World Cup 2022 squad on September 15. Imad could have been a fit in the middle-order as he has a higher strike rate than Khushdil Shah. However, the presence of Mohammad Nawaz in the side can be the reason why Imad was not considered.
