Imam-ul-Haq has criticised Pakistan’s fans for jeering at Khushdil Shah during the T20I series against England.
Khushdil struggled during the series, averaging 21 and striking at 112. At times during the series, including during his 25-ball 27 in the decider, Pakistan fans chanted ‘Parchi’ at him, a phrase used to refer to players who are shown favouritism.
Imam, established as Pakistan’s opener in the other two formats, asked Pakistan fans to stop chanting at Khushdil in a tweet, accompanied by a video of Pakistan fans jeering at the middle-order batter as he walked off.
“I would like to request our fans to avoid such rants at any player as it can badly impact the player’s health and try to support them like you always do, regardless of the results,” Imam wrote on Twitter. “We play for you, we play for Pakistan.”
I would like to request our fans to avoid such rants at any player as it can badly impact the player’s health and try to support them like you always do, regardless of the results. We play for YOU, we play for PAKISTAN 🇵🇰 Stay blessed ✨
— Imam Ul Haq (@ImamUlHaq12) October 2, 2022
Imam, nephew of Pakistan legend and selector Inzamam-ul-Haq, has opened up in the past on facing similar criticism during his career.
“Whenever I would open my phone, there were people tagging me on social media posts or sending me stuff,” he told ESPNcricinfo. “I was very disheartened and couldn’t understand anything. I stopped talking to my family because I didn’t want to put them under any pressure that I’m facing problems. I switched off and handed both my mobile phones to my manager, and said, ‘I can’t take this, please take them off me.’”
In July, he announced that he would be naming his own personal brand ‘Parchi’.
