Pakistan captain Inzamam-ul Haq says the loss of weight resulted in him not scoring any runs during the last World Cup.
LONDON: Recalling the horrible experience of being put on diet before the 2003 World Cup, Pakistan skipper Inzamam-ul Haq said the 17 kg weight loss that followed only worsened his performance, frustrating him to the point that he thought of giving up cricket.
“I will never do that again. Just before the World Cup I worked harder than I ever did and lost — 17 kilograms,” Inzamam told The Guardian. “Can you believe it? It was too much. I didn’t score any runs without those 17 kilograms. And that’s when I got dropped from the Test team. It hurt me so much that I said I’m not willing to play again,” he added.
He said the ridicule he faced for being overweight and lethargic, and jokes on his slow running between the wickets hurt him immensely earlier but not anymore as he has become a calmer person now.
“Those jokes hurt me — especially in the past. It is not easy when people laugh at you. I don’t mind positive criticism, but when it is negative and personal it is quite hard. But I feel more relaxed now,” the Pakistan skipper told The Guardian.
Inzamam, who once attacked a spectator for calling him an ‘aloo’ during a match, said he has matured with age and has stopped letting any criticisms — either personal or professional — affect his peace of mind. “It is difficult because we have 150 million critics in Pakistan and whenever we play a series there are maybe five TV channels that cover the cricket. And each channel has five big experts telling us where we are going wrong. I try to ignore them,” he said.
Inzamam admitted that he doesn’t spend much time in the nets and likes to keep things slow and simple.
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