A summary of what's happening with the Pakistan A team in Sri Lanka and we learn why Talha didnt complete the second 4 day game

by Abdul Habib

 

The Pakistan A team are understandably in a great mood after winning the unofficial test series 1-0 and they're attributing the win to great bowling on a batting friendly track.

Talha stopped bowling in the second test because the niggle with his knee from the A series in Australia has resurfaced. Before this tour Talha told me that the niggle with his knee was an ongoing issue that had been affecting him for a few years now. The doctor has said that Talha should be fit to bowl in the one day series. There's talk of a scan on his knee but with Talha's name amongst the 30 probables for the Champions Trophy, it's likely he'll be reluctant to get his knee assessed. The problem is that if he does get it checked out and needs to get it treated then it may rule him out for the CT. In my opinion he should forget the CT and get his knee checked out but Pakistani players are known for putting first team opportunities ahead of their fitness.

Wahab is in supreme bowling form and will be very disappointed if he's overlooked for the CT. He's a lot fitter than the last time we saw him but his speed is around the same as it was on his international debut. On average he probably bowls at around the same speed as Talha but Talha can crank it up past Wahab who is around 143-145k at the top of his range. Wahab's real strength is with the old ball and most of his wickets come whne the ball is reversing, like most Pakistani quicks he doesnt have great mastery over the new ball and relies a lot on his pace to beat the batsman.



Umar Amin is in great form and he's one that usually looks solid whilst scoring his runs which is very unlike most Pakistani batsmen. Ahmed Shahzad got an unlucky bat/pad decision in the second test where the ball hit the pad and he was given out caught. It's a shame because he's in good touch, hopefully he can continue scoring runs in the upcoming one days.

Speaking of the one days it's possible that Khurram Manzoor will be rested and replaced with Khalid Laif because Khurram isnt in the 30 probables for the Champions Trophy. There's also talk of Azhar Ali making way for Shehryar Ghani who is seen as more of a one day player. Whilst Ghani needs to play I believe it would be harsh to drop Azhar Ali because he's been scoring runs and deserves more chances.

The Pakistan A team want to add a one day series victory to their 4 day series win to give the fans something to cheer about and to push the cases for some of the players vying for a spot in the Champions Trophy squad. Hopefully they can win both series and keep the guys in the senior team on their toes!