Speaking exclusively to PakPassion.net; Chief Selector Mohsin Hasan Khan explained the thinking behind the squad combination and the choice of personnel for Pakistan's tour of Zimbabwe, whilst adding that the opponents should not be taken lightly.

By Saj Sadiq (30th July, 2011)

Pakistan’s selection committee has announced a 16 man squad for next month’s tour of Zimbabwe consisting of 3 one day internationals, 2 Twenty20 fixtures and a solitary test match.

The selectors have opted for recalls for bowlers Sohail Tanvir, Sohail Khan and there is yet another recall for opening batsman Imran Farhat, whilst pace bowlers Wahab Riaz and Umar Gul have been rested for the short tour.

Speaking exclusively to PakPassion.net; Chief Selector Mohsin Hasan Khan explained the thinking behind the squad combination and the choice of personnel, whilst adding that the opponents should not be taken lightly.

“Umar Gul and Wahab Riaz have constantly been playing in all formats of cricket recently and Umar had a slight injury problem ahead of the tour of the Caribbean and Wahab has also been very busy playing a lot of cricket, so we thought that we’d give these two regular bowlers a bit of a rest. It also gives us the opportunity to try out some new boys as I feel that we need some back up in the fast bowling department.”

Whilst Pakistan will be overwhelming favourites in Zimbabwe, Khan urged caution and stated that the squad was picked with full respect for the opposition. He explained how the plan was to combine experience with youth and there was never the temptation to entirely revamp the squad and send an experimental side to Zimbabwe, missing the likes of Younis Khan and Misbah ul Haq.

“Zimbabwe cannot be taken lightly and our squad was picked with full respect for the opponents. There was never any real consideration for sending an entirely experimental squad made up of youngsters and players with little or no international experience. With international cricket not returning to Pakistan yet, we seem to have a reduced number of international fixtures and therefore we have less opportunity to experiment.

With Younis (Khan), he returned early from the tour of the Caribbean due to the sad passing away of his brother and we felt that we needed to have Younis and Misbah in the squad, as they are the two most experienced batsmen and they would be able to guide the younger batsmen in the squad. We are trying to create a group of responsible batsmen to backup the experienced batsmen and the likes of Azhar Ali and Asad Shafiq are definitely in that mould. Umar Akmal is another young exciting batsman who I feel has a bright future. The onus now on the selectors is to ensure that we have enough middle order backup so that when the two senior batsmen (Younis and Misbah), do eventually call it a day at some point in the future, then there are able replacements and we are not in a position where we have nobody to fill the void left by Younis and Misbah.”

Khan further added that the backup pace bowlers have an ideal opportunity to strengthen their case for future selection and that he and his fellow selectors hoped that the fast bowling reserves would be in even better shape after the tour of Zimbabwe.

“Boys like Sohail Khan, Junaid Khan, Sohail Tanvir and Aizaz Cheema now have a good opportunity to show off their talents with some of the experienced bowlers missing. We are hoping that God Willing we will come out of this tour in good shape and with our fast bowling reserves strengthened.”

Fitness concerns and injury problems have hindered the progress of the two Sohails (Khan and Tanvir), but Mohsin hopes that the fitness problems with both bowlers are now firmly behind them and they can both play an active part in Zimbabwe.

“Both Sohail Tanvir and Sohail Khan have proved to the selectors that they are capable of bowling in all formats of cricket, they have shown that their fitness problems are behind them and they have bowled long spells in domestic cricket without any problems. Our duty as selectors is to make sure that before a tour commences we pick a player who is absolutely fit, but if something goes wrong on the tour, then that is out of our hands. Both of these boys have shown a great deal of promise in all formats and we felt deserved a recall.”

24 year old batsman Rameez Raja is the new name in the squad after some dashing displays in the recent Faysal Bank Super Eights Twenty over tournament for Karachi Dolphins and Khan feels that Rameez has enough potential to become a regular in all formats.

“Rameez is a batsman who has really caught the eye of all of the selection committee and he has shown great potential in all formats. We felt that the tour of Zimbabwe was the ideal time to give Rameez a chance in international cricket. He has shown great promise at junior level and in domestic cricket, so now we are saying to him, this is your opportunity to shine on the biggest stage, so show us and the world what you have. Rameez is a cricketer who also fields well and this is something that my colleagues in the selection committee and I have really focussed upon. Modern day cricket is not just about batting and bowling skills, but also about being able to field well and we want the players that we bring into the squad to be good fielders too.”

Khan and his selection committee like their predecessors over the years have not escaped criticism from certain quarters, but Khan feels that this is part and parcel of the job and no matter who the selectors choose it will always draw criticism from some.

“We look at the talent around the country and select the players who we think have the ability to establish themselves in international cricket and against the best opposition. We try to utilise our experience, but at the end of the day we are all human and sometimes the selections pay off and at other times they don’t. That is part and parcel of being a selector. Our duty is to give players a chance and then it’s up to the players to grasp that opportunity and prove their worth.

Young batsman Usman Salahuddin, all rounder Hammad Azam and medium pacer Sadaf Hussain were dropped for the tour of Zimbabwe, despite limited opportunities, but Khan feels that the trio should not be disheartened as they remain in the selectors plans for the future.

“Hammad has not been entirely discarded, he’s been named in the reserves list. Hammad is a cricketer who has a very bright future and is definitely in our plans and a boy who I have a lot of respect for. The tour of Zimbabwe is a short tour and with that in mind we felt we only needed the one all rounder and that slot went to the in-form Sohail Tanvir. Usman (Salahuddin) is also a young cricketer with a bright future, I’m sure his chance will come as will Sadaf’s.”

The recent change to the ball ruling in one day cricket also had an impact on the choice of bowlers, according to Mohsin.

“With two balls being used in one day cricket we felt that it was imperative that we chose bowlers who are good with the newer ball, rather than just with the older ball and relied mainly on reverse swing with the old ball. Therefore we have gone for Sohail Tanvir, Aizaz Cheema, Junaid Khan and Sohail Tanvir, all of whom are accomplished bowlers with the new and the old ball.”

Opening batsman Imran Farhat’s return, once again to the squad has caused great debate amongst fans, but Khan feels that it is a warranted selection, given Farhat’s recent form.

“We were looking for an outstanding, reliable young opening batsman for the test arena, but we did not find one for the longer version of cricket. Imran did not have a good tour of England last year and he was subsequently dropped, but he’s bounced back well in domestic cricket and had a very good season last time around. He was amongst the highest aggregate run scorers in the Quaid E Azam 4 day competition, hitting 5 centuries in that tournament. We have given Imran another chance to prove himself, if he does well, that’s good, but if he fails, then it’s bad luck and we look elsewhere.”

The wicketkeeping role is once again back “in the hands” of Adnan Akmal after previous incumbent Mohammad Salman was dropped after a poor tour of the Caribbean. Khan feels that Adnan is the best choice at the moment, although Sarfraz Ahmed is another wicketkeeper that has caught his eye.

“What happened with the wicketkeepers selection for the tour of the Caribbean is well documented. Adnan was selected, he was our first choice but after some confusion Salman went to the West Indies. That is history now and after a positive meeting with Chairman Ijaz Butt, that matter was resolved amicably and the confusion cleared up. The Chairman and I also discussed some guidelines for the future and agreed that the Salman/Adnan scenario shouldn’t occur in future.

Adnan had a very bright start to international cricket and did very well on the tour of New Zealand and fully deserves another chance. We also have another bright wicketkeeping prospect in Sarfraz Ahmed who we have named amongst the standby players. Sarfraz has done very well with the gloves and with the bat in domestic cricket and we’ll continue to analyse his performances.

Overall I think it’s a well balanced squad, selected on merit and a squad that the Chairman fully supported.”