In exclusive remarks to PakPassion.net on this subject, former Pakistan captain and member of PCBs coaching committee which was responsible for choosing Dav Whatmore as coach of Pakistan, Zaheer Abbas spoke of his satisfaction with the decisions of the selectors.

By Amir Husain (May 11th, 2012)

 

Pakistani cricket has had a mixed start to the year in 2012. They began with an odds defying victory in Test matches against the world’s number one ranked team, England. The dizzying heights of inflicting a white wash 3-0 defeat in Tests were followed by a near enough wipeout in the shorter forms of the game against the same opponents.

In the ensuing melee that usually follows such results, Pakistan gained new team management in the form of Head Coach Dav Whatmore and his assistant in the fielding department, Julien Fountain. In the meanwhile, the post of Chief of selectors was awarded to the experienced Iqbal Qasim who re-entered the arena with a vow to award merit in the shape of good domestic form and to provide all players a chance at selection – regardless of their previous records.

Whilst under the supervision of the new management Pakistan were able to lift the Asia Cup Trophy in Dhaka, it was generally agreed that the real test of their resolve would become apparent in the team selection for sterner tests in the future. Apart from giving some serious thoughts to obvious frailties in batting and bowling aspects, there was also the thorny issue of the appointment of leader(s) for all 3 formats of the game. In a well attended press briefing at the NCA in Lahore, Iqbal Qasim under the watchful eyes of Zaka Ashraf, the Chairman of the PCB delivered his verdict on many days of deliberations on this subject.

Misbah-ul-Haq retained his place as captain of the Pakistan Test and ODI teams but relinquished the post in favour of youth in the shape of Mohammed Hafeez in the T20 squad. Hafeez also took over the position of Vice Captain in Test and ODI teams.

Other noteworthy inclusions were those of previous discarded international players such as Mohammed Sami and Faisal Iqbal as well as some exciting new talent in the shape of Rahat Ali, Haris Sohail, Afaq Raheem and Ayub Dogar. Whereas the likes of Imran Farhat and Shoaib Malik may have considered themselves lucky to feature in any one of the squads, exciting young batsman Umar Akmal once again found himself out of favour for selection in the Test squad.

With the selectors opting for mixture of experience and youth in all 3 squads, the debate on this subject is generally centered round the suitability of players to each of the formats and has drawn favourable reactions from the experts.

In exclusive remarks to PakPassion.net on this subject, former Pakistan captain and member of PCBs coaching committee which was responsible for choosing Dav Whatmore as coach of Pakistan, Zaheer Abbas spoke of his satisfaction with the decisions of the selectors.

Misbah-ul-Haq had faced immense criticism on the back of some startling defeats in the shorter formats of the game against England and was expected to be replaced by any number of younger candidates. In the event, the selectors decided to elevate all-rounder Mohammed Hafeez to the position of captain for the T20 squad. In Zaheer’s view, it was the pressure on Misbah as captain in all formats and Hafeez’s consistent rise in stature as a consistent performer which lead to this decision, with a natural progression as captain in other formats as a distinct possibility.

“It’s a good decision by the board – Misbah was captain for all formats which is a bit of a hassle for any captain as its puts too much pressure on one person – so this is a good decision taken by the board to appoint Hafeez ”

“Hafeez is the right choice as T20 Captain. He, really, is the only choice and the reason is very simple as he is scoring runs and taking wickets for the team and this consistency has been rewarded. His future elevation to captain from vice captain will be based on his performance in those types of formats but If he performs well then obviously that will be the right choice”

The enigma of Umar Akmal, seemingly blessed with raw talent yet unable to find a place in the Test team, is one that has troubled many keen observers of the game. Yet again, Umar has been discarded from Test squad bound for Sri Lanka and Zaheer feels that it is Umar’s inability to adapt to demands of the longer game that has caused him to lose out. 

“If Umar Akmal has been playing silly shots in Tests – in other words, playing T20 shots in Test matches then that’s to be expected as these are 2 different forms of the game! He has spoken to me before and I have explained this problem to him as well. He has been playing for Pakistan for a while now and he should know what shots to play and when to play those – he must play on the merit of each ball bowled to him”

In recent times, the calls for inclusion of Shoaib Malik in the shorter forms of the game have been the subject of many discussions and it would seem that they have had some effect as he was named in the squad for the T20 format. This is a decision that Zaheer is not entirely convinced about but is willing to let Malik prove his critics wrong.

“That’s a tough question. I have a lot of trust in our selection committee but in this case, I am not sure if he can deliver what the team needs but let’s see how this pans out. As you know, T20 is a strange format – you score 25 run in 5 balls and then suddenly he will be looking like a good choice!”

Mohammed Sami ' s inclusion in all 3 teams for the tour of Sri Lanka is another area which is causing consternation amongst followers of the game. The 31 year old from Karachi has had numerous opportunities to impress but a Test career of 35 matches with 84 wickets at a high average is unlikely to change the minds of many. The doubts on Sami are backed up by the fact that he last played Test and T20 games for Pakistan in 2010 whilst his last ODI appearance was back in 2007.However, despite the criticism of Sami’s abilities, Zaheer is of the view that a bowler of Sami’s experience and express pace must be given another chance, especially given the dearth of proven fast bowling resources in all three squads

“The selection committee wanted to try him out. They wanted to see if his line and length has improved – if it has then it’s a good thing. We do lack some good fast bowlers in the team so to me, this is a good choice”