Need Pillars in the Middle

Think about Pakistan Cricket Team! Things that will pop up in your mind will be aggression, greatest bowlers, innovations, unpredictability and ridicules batting collapses of them and against them. For long now, it has been labeled with Pakistan’s international outfit that winning against them is easy if one can neutralize their bowling, because it has hardly been seen lately that their batting lineup has won them a match.

Recently concluded tour of South Africa if not complete has been a fail to very extent and Pakistan reputation as a batting unit has hit another low. It was predictable that batting is going to struggle in South Africa and hope for a competition resided with Pakistan’s bowling lineup. Some feel that even bowlers didn’t turn up especially in test series, but it is to understand that batsmen didn’t give enough to bowlers to play with.

It is not the case that Pakistani batsmen completely failed individually barring Muhammad Hafeez and Nasir Jamshed, they just weren’t able to put a collective effort, Batsmen hit personal highs and lows on indifferent times and subsequently failed to build  formidable combinations of partnerships that ultimately led disastrous results.

This conked out batting show should wake up selection committee that it is time when they have to chew some stones. Selection of likes of Faisal Iqbal and Imran Farhat is definitely a road block in Pakistan’s proper resurgence at international stage. Younis Khan and Misbah-ul-Haq’s tiring lungs, Professor’s footwork and Umar Akmal’s temperament are among the questions that are hard to answer of any selection Panel. Asad Shafiq and Azhar Ali are coming good but Asad Shafiq needs to drop down his habit of throwing away his wicket just at the time when bowlers start to feel he is a “not out” material. Azhar Ali needs to bring his ability to score runs in third innings across the all innings. Wicket keeper just has been a bonus wicket for South Africa throughout test series.  Kamran’s butter fingers and every other option’s batting abilities worse than Saeed Ajmal’s are suggesting that a search operation should be launched for right man for the job, not a half man.

Umer Amin alongside Haris Sohail scored heavily in Domestic Season

It is not selection committee only but team management is also responsible for under-par performance of Pakistan batting side, dropping Nasir Jamshed both in test and ODI series just at the wrong time and persistence with Shoiab Malik are question marks on Whatmore and Misbah’s strategies.

It is for a long now that Pakistan is yelling out that they need Pillars in middle order, but what one needs to understand that these pillars are not going to stand on their own, they need to be built. Throw Umer Amin, Haris Sohail, Usman Slahuddin ,Ramiz Raja jnr., Shan Masood, AhmadShehzad, Afaq Rahim, or Naveed Yasin in the field, let’s see what they turn into. Make Gulraiz Sadaf or Muhammad Rizwan stand behind stumps and check their surety behind and front of those planted sticks. Get Hammad Azam orAkbar-ur-Rehman to showcase some all round skills. Team management needs to act too, may be drop Muhammad Hafeez a place or two, he has scored three half centuries in T20 Internationals in a row from no. 3, let’s see if he can repeat that in ODIs too.

 Some change here some improvisation there; something has to be done to get something. These pillars are not going to stand on their own. For now it looks like that Pakistan National Selection committee is stuck in a loop that it “needs experience for job” and men able to do the job “need job for experience”.

  
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New Format in Domestic First Class Cricket is a Success

New Format in Domestic First Class Cricket is a Success

Pakistan’s Domestic First Class cricket season ended with Quiad-e-Azam trophy title going to Karachi. PCB opted a new format for first class cricket this season and it seems that they have found a longer lasting format after hit and trail for a number of years. Though, still one feels that there is a lot of room for improvement in the format but there definitely was a huge improvement seen. It is understandable that only competitive cricket at grass root level can produce competitive cricketers, while there is no doubt in amount of raw talent Pakistan possesses, a strong structure of domestic can produce a pool of players that can take Pakistan Cricket beyond limits.

Two tier new format and making Departmental and Regional teams play in different pools immensely improved the quality of cricket. Like in pervious format, there was no point of a competition between a strong team like HBL and a weak outfit like Multan. Loads of thrashings by an innings were seen in last season and reason was clear, matches between unmatched. Even selectors were reluctant to consider the players for big screen because there were doubts regarding the strength of the oppositions whom they have performed against. A hundred against SNGPL and HBL or a five-for against KRL or Port Qasim will mean something for selectors rather than any strong performance against Multan or Quetta.

Quality has improved, not only in competitions between Departmental teams but in Regional affairs too, as matches were played in two different tournaments, so players who had their duties with departmental teams could also answer the call of duty from their regional teams, which increased the quality of cricket in both tournaments. Players had more matches to play to showcase their talent and get the eye of selectors. Departments now have better look into player’s performance and hopefully we will see lots of new signings in departmental teams of players from regional teams in next season.

PCB definitely has taken some steps that worth endorsements, new first class cricket format is one of them, and results are shining too, selectors were confident to pick likes of Ehsan Adil and Rahat Ali, even Muhammad Irfan’s comeback would have been in a doubt if he hadn’t taken wickets against strong outfits, playing for a strong team and taking wickets against Hyderabad and Quetta in pervious format would have been pointless to some extent.

With a format worth keeping, PCB now needs to look into the other important issues, Players are complaining about facilities for a long now. It is fairly clear that it is the time now when PCB has to invest, if the cricket is of the quality we saw in current season, search of a sponsor for domestic cricket should not be difficult. PCB can even talk to the sponsors of upcoming PSL to invest money in First Class cricket too in order to get attached with PSL. Umpiring and coaching staff are other issues that need to be addressed on priority basis. Our players while playing at international level make mistakes that can be counted as childish and should have been accounted at lower level.

Pakistani cricket fans are starving for international cricket. It’s been more than three years now when they saw international cricket in all whites in their stadium, in this situation, if good quality cricket is being played at regular basis at first class level, it won’t be difficult to have a good crowd in. Our domestic cricket can provide our torn nation a good picnic time.

“A strong management will deliver better products.”  Even though PCB officials will not gear up to play in ground to get better results for Pakistan Cricket Team, their better management would definitely help in getting some. If Pakistan Cricket gets better and strong domestic structure it will ultimately lead to strong Pakistani outfit in international cricket. With PSL around the corner one must hope that Domestic Cricket is getting better which is very important, as around the world Cricket is not a sport anymore, it’s more like an industry now and if PCB gets success in turning our cricket in an industry too it will be no wonder if we see big foreign investment in our cricket. New format of domestic first class cricket is first and very fine step by PCB and one must say, it’s a Success.

Left Arm Fast and Swinging both Ways

Pakistan Cricket has produced some extraordinary heights and declivities over the past 60 years. Formidable players, invincible teams, bad boys, off-field mess, unbelievably weak outfits at times, match fixings, spot fixings, empires with almost sub-human eyesight, sixer machines, doosras, sinful post tea spells to finish the even strongest batting line-ups and Left Armers are few Pakistan Cricket legacies that tend to live to for eternity, and of these legacies, one denied to die even after that disaster that ruined a fresh and promising part of it. Yes, I am talking about Left Armers.

"Left arm round the wicket...Darren Lamb has been cleaned up", everyone who knows cricket can remember this line from commentary on live telecast of the Contest, Pakistan cherish the most. It all started from that, Wasim nailing two in two with two deliveries that went in exactly opposite direction after hitting the turf on exactly the same place. Wasim then onwards became the worst nightmare for any batsman who took guard against him, once asked that how can one be successful on a dead wicket, "it’s simple, don't use it" was Wasim's answer with that signature smile which was seen many a times on his face after seeing the rising finger of umpire on his trademark exuberant appeal. Wasim left Green caps in 2003, leaving Pakistan wandering for another left armer to step into his shoes. Batsmen were relieved and coaches managed to smile again. Pakistan was ready to act, Muhammad Khalil was the first one to be tried, failed.

Najaf Shah came next, ran in, and soon he ran into Sanath Jayasuria, and for the next almost two years Pakistan fast bowling attack was all Right Armers. Sohail Tanvir was a surprise entry in  ICC world T20 2007, again Sanath Jayasuria was there to welcome Pakistan's wrong footed, Sohail dropped Sanath standing at Short fine Leg. Next over he was asked to bowl, he ran in, bowled on wrong foot and went through cross bat to disturb the timber. That was his first delivery, and soon it was understood that he can bowl well to the batsmen who are playing his first ball. Kamran Hussain came afterwards and vanished due to reasons that reside well in "Chamber of Secrets".

In ICC world T20 2009, Pakistan fielded a rookie, 17 years old country boy, Thin, medium height and down to earth he looked. Framing and getting out the tournament's best batsman in the first over of the tournament final. Muhammad Amir was announced. Wasim himself said "He is more intelligent than I was at his age". Panic was among the ranks of opponents, coaching staff went into store rooms to search for what they dumped after World Cup 2003.  Amir took off like an F-16 and crash landed like a drone whose jockey slept. Whether it was Salman Butt, Muhammad Asif or Mazhar Majid or some unknown underworld mafia which off course seems like a unicorn of cricket world, whatever the reason was Pakistan struggled. They lost their left armer. They lost their superhero. They lost what they longed for 6 years.

"They lost their left armer they said, they won't find one soon they said", legacy denied to die, Pakistan fielded 7+ feet left arm behemoth in space of 15 days. Experiment thought to be failed, smiles were all around, until, a quiet afternoon in Abu Dhabi caused a few eye-brows to rise. Reverse Swing, Left arm, round the wicket, Yorker, result is predictable. Mighty Heart, mighty talented, furious Junaid Khan was depleting strong Sri Lankan batting Line-up, but it was only Pakistan's so celebrated tour to India that made people realize what they are up against. Virat Kholi for instance, was thought to be one Indian batsman who is going to make marry on Pakistani bowlers like cream pie with cherry on top, scored 1 run for 19 balls and 3 dismissals against Junaid. 7 feet Irfan came back to scenes again, much improved, testing batsmen and smiling while they were failing to answer the questions asked.

Irfan's huge frame can come under question, so is Junaid's fitness, Sky may be is not as clear as it should be, but in monsoon in Pakistan, it is said, when you can see the west horizon clear, buckle up, clouds are moving. West horizon is clear now. Junaid and Irfan are roaring, only cricket will test their abilities  and only time will tell that whether Pakistan found another superhero they crave for or not. Breeding ground is not doing bad either. With Wahab Riaz and Rahat Ali already in national contention Sadaf Hussain, Zia-ul-Haq, NasirMalik, Emmad Ali and Rizwan Haider are knocking few doors. Even Fallen superhero can take flight of Phoenix. Left armers keep coming, Pakistan cricket after every jitter, propel with even more esteem and is revered even more. Legacy lives on. Left Arm, Fast, Swinging both Ways is still the problem to cater for every Batsman that plays against Greens.