After the humiliating exit from the Champions Trophy, there was a glimmer of hope that someone at the Pakistan Cricket Board would be brave enough to hit the reset button & pick a squad with the vision to prepare the team for World Cup 2027. But no, they’ve dished out the same old vine in a new bottle.
Abdullah Shafiq, the guy who was dropped merely weeks ago, because of his poor ODI form, finds himself back in the squad without having done anything to warrant a return. No doubting Abdullah’s quality as a batter & one still hopes he does wonders for the team in the upcoming series, but bringing players back into the squad without any noticeable performances in the local arena, not only undermines the domestic cricket, but also sets an extremely bad example for other players working relentlessly to find a place in the squad.
Then comes Faheem Ashraf. An epitome of bits & pieces cricketer, with an embarrassing limited overs record! It’s just mind-boggling how he keeps finding himself in the team, despite being a tried & tested failure. Batting averages of 11 & 12 & bowling averages of 47 & 27 in ODIs & T20Is respectively, speak volumes of his caliber as an (alleged) all-rounder.
Imam Ul Haq, another batter inspired by the 80s era of batsman-ship, where it was considered “unethical” to play at a high strike rate. A timid opener who may reach useless personal milestones every now & then, but only at the team’s expense. In today’s fast-paced cricket, playing a one dimensional opener like Imam, is analogous to bringing a Suzuki Mehran to Formula One race. You know the result well before the race starts.
Tayyab Tahir, a batsman who is supposed to bat at number 5, struggles badly to deal with pace bowling. While batting at 5/6, you need to be equally good against spin & pace, in order to dominate bowling attacks, but Tayyab is unfortunately clueless against quality pace. It’s baffling to see him in the squad, in this role, despite his obvious flaws against pace bowling.
These individual cases are just the tip of the iceberg, the bigger issue is lack of game awareness among the players & more shockingly, among the coaching staff & selection committee too. The selection process not only seems to be ignoring the recent form, but basic common sense as well.
The fans want to see a team that reflects the fighting spirit of Pakistanis as a nation. Fans want to see players who are hungry to perform, players who can look beyond personal milestones & play for the team’s cause. As long as there’s a hunger to win & there’s a visible effort to back that hunger, the fans won’t mind even if results don’t come straightway. But we need to start somewhere.
The PCB needs to understand it is a professional body, not a family enterprise, where anyone could do whatever they want. The fans deserve better. Pakistan cricket deserves better.
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