Pakistan U-19s recently completed a 5-0 whitewash against their Kenya counterparts. The matches were held in different grounds in Nairobi and whilst the result of these games was as expected, the value of this tour and it's importance to the players involved was invaluable,

By Amir Husain (16th December, 2014)

Raw talent has many times been touted as the lifeblood of Pakistan cricket. Stories abound of young Pakistani players being plucked out of obscurity and thrust into the international limelight who have later set the world stage alight with their performances. Whilst such successes are rare and far between, it is a fact that the Pakistan U-19 and U-21 teams are veritable nurseries for cricketing talent where young players are groomed and transformed into the finished products. The promotion to the senior team is then a matter of time.

However, similar to the plight of their senior colleagues, the Pakistan U-19 teams of recent past have faced a crisis brought on by no fault of their own. The sad events of 2009 which brought an abrupt end to all international cricket in Pakistan also had a detrimental effect on the development of Pakistan’s young U-19 talents as they too were deprived of international experience at their home grounds.

The only real option for the youngsters was to be part of international tours but with PCB facing its own internal organizational struggles, even this option was reduced to nothing. The future of the Pakistan U-19 international tours, much to the relief of many, was rescued by the full might of administrative experience of the current Chairman of PCB, Mr. Shahryar Khan. In an internal meeting in September of this year, the newly elected Chairman served notice to his staff when he made pointed references about what he deemed to be an important aspect of the development of new talent for Pakistan. He reiterated his desire to promote international cricket for the U-17s and the U-19s, stressing that tours for these teams would be held even if PCB had to bear its cost in terms of reciprocity by hosting offshore series.

The Chairman’s words did not take long to turn into concrete action as much to the delight of well-wishers of Pakistan Cricket, the PCB announced the arrangements of Pakistan U-19 teams visit to Kenya to play 5 One Day games in the early part of December. The 15 member squad lead by Saud Shakeel arrived in Nairobi on the 5th of December. Whilst the purpose of the tour was to play cricket, the actual sentiments behind the tour were succinctly expressed by Rafiuzzaman Siddiqui, the Pakistan High Commissioner to Kenya, who said the team’s visit to Kenya was very important for both nations.

“Pakistan is on a comeback mission since the 2009 attack on Sri Lankan team and such tours are critical for all our cricket teams. It is also important that they are visiting Kenya because sports play a critical role in bilateral relations between nations and this is a step in the right direction,” noted Siddiqui.

The Pakistani youngsters played their first game of the tour at the Nairobi Gymkhana on December 6, and wasted no time in showing their hosts why they are rated amongst the finest in the world as they beat the hosts Kenya by 139 runs. Pakistan scored of 290 on the back of a fine 88 runs off 89 balls by man of the match Shahid Khan and then bowled out Kenya for a modest 151 in 44.2 overs.

The second game of the series on December 7 was held at the same venue but the result was even better for Pakistan and probably a much steeper learning experience for the hosts as Pakistan won by 295 runs. Opener Zeeshan Malik was involved in two stands that gave the visitors full control of the game and earned him the man of the match award with 154 runs from 118 balls. Pakistan scored 372 in their 50 over allotment but bowled out Kenya for 77 in just 29.1 overs.

The Kenya team would have hoped that a change of venue for the third game of the series on December 9 at the Jaffery Sports Club in Nairobi would have had some remedial effects on their fortunes. Sadly, they were mistaken as the hosts suffered another humiliation when they were bowled out for 72 while chasing a mammoth 338 set by Pakistan. Captain Saud Shakeel was the hero of this game for Pakistan for his 121 runs off just 93 balls; a performance that also earned him the coveted man of the match award.

The fate of the series thus decided in Pakistan’s favour, the hosts were left with nothing but pride to play for in the remaining two games. They appeared to improve on their batting performances of previous two games as they managed 125 all out in the fourth game of the series on December 11 at the Sir Ali Muslim Club Ground, Nairobi. For Pakistan, Awais Iqbal was the destroyer-in-chief, picking up five wickets for just 37 runs in 9.5 overs. Pakistan batsmen wasted no time in overhauling the modest target and did so in just 18.4 overs for the loss of two wickets.

The final game of the series at the Nairobi Gymkhana Ground on December 12 heralded further success for the Pakistan U-19 team as they demolished the Kenya bowling attack scoring 329 and then bowled out the bewildered hosts for a paltry 104. Once again the Pakistan captain was at the forefront of this fine performance, picking up the Man of the Match award for an elegant 112 off just 83 deliveries.

Given the reputation of Pakistan cricket, the results of the series carried no surprise. Indeed, the thought process behind such series is to try and provide experience of playing in alien conditions to the youngsters and to give them the confidence boost which they need as they graduate to the senior version of the game.

For Pakistan, the victorious captain Saud Shakeel speaking to PakPassion.net, summed up the experience nicely, stating “Playing at home is fine as you can play in your own conditions and perform but playing and performing abroad is what gives you real confidence. You realise you can adapt to different conditions. It's as important as playing in a World Cup for U-19 players to get experience in foreign conditions to improve their development. It builds your confidence to know you have performed away from home and it really helps you to grow as a player,” he concluded.

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