LAHORE, Oct 27: Former Test captain Intikhab Alam accused Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) selection committee of ignoring opener Imran Farhat in the past, despite the fact that the player had performed excellently in the domestics season.

Talking to Dawn while commenting on Imran’s first Test century against South Africa in the second Test on Saturday at Faisalabad, Intikhab was all praise for the opener.

He said that the selection committee by ignoring Imran, tried to destroy a talented player’s confidence.

“Imran’s inclusion in the team was not the decision of the selection committee as it was forced by PCB high-up under some deal” he alleged.

Intikhab also claimed that the previous selection committee headed by Wasim Bari too deliberately kept Imran out.

He alleged that Imran’s inclusion against a strong South Africa side without giving him any chance against Bangladesh could have backfired, but the youngster proved proved his mettle in no uncertain terms.

Intikhab asked the selectors to explain the reasons why Imran had been sidelined for a long time and on which performance now he got the nod?