"Who will be answerable for not selecting him all these years?" - Shoaib Akhtar on Fawad Alam

Former Pakistan fast bowler Shoaib Akhtar took a thinly-veiled dig at selectors after 35-year-old Fawad Alam scored a brilliant hundred against South Africa in the first Test.

The left-hander arrived at the crease when Pakistan were in deep trouble at 27-4. However, Fawad Alam (109 off 245 balls) formed crucial partnerships with Azhar Ali, Mohammad Rizwan and Faheem Ashraf to help the hosts take a 178-run first-innings lead.

Taking to Twitter, Shoaib Akhtar congratulated the player for his heroic innings while also launching a scathing criticism for not selecting the player 'all these years'.

Another 100 by @iamfawadalam25. So I'd like to know who will be answerable for not selecting him all these years? Great determination! #FawadAlam

— Shoaib Akhtar (@shoaib100mph) January 27, 2021

Fawad Alam - a story of grit and resilience

Fawad Alam has looked the most comfortable batsman against both pace and spin in the Pakistan team against South Africa. Thus it is baffling to believe that the left-hander was overlooked for more than a decade after making his Test debut in 2009.

Since that debut match against Sri Lanka in Colombo, Fawad Alam played only three other Tests before he was out of the reckoning for an inordinately long period.

However, far from being disheartened, the 35-year-old persevered through the grind, scoring over 12000 runs; at one point, he had the highest average by a batsman in Pakistan's domestic cricket.

Back in the Test fold against England after more than a decade, Fawad Alam took some time to get used to the rigours of international cricket. However, the experienced domestic campaigner scored a fine century against New Zealand in Mount Maunganui to prove his worth to the side.

Fawad Alam then backed up that effort with a fabulous hundred against South Africa in Karachi, his first Test at home, proving that age is just a number.