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@Rana reviews Pakistan's squad selection, questioning the absence of young talent and the reliance on a traditional approach while highlighting the team's potential for an unpredictable, game-changing run in the tournament.
Pakistan will fare if Hasnain is to be trusted as a bowler for the mega event on these decks.
Peak international white ball cricket returns to Pakistan after an ouster of 27 years with the final of the ICC world cup being played at Lahore in 1996. Much has changed in Pakistan since that wonderful day when Arjuna Ranatunga created history by leading the Sri Lankan side to their first ever world title, but the chance to recreate history at Lahore beckons once again for the 7 participants of the ICC Champions Trophy 2025, with India threatening to ruin the party with a potential final qualification in Dubai.
With ICC tournaments returning to Pakistan soil, the home side will try and assert their dominance as the host nation through the ploy of the newly appointed captain Muhammad Rizwan taking the entire nation into his confidence and approach the journey by initially downplaying his team’s chances by looking for the ‘underdog’ tag. It seems as if the weight of expectations is becoming too much to handle for the boys in green (lime green we should say), who wish to operate at a pace where they are already written off and have no expectations of finishing as the victors. The wish to be viewed in this manner is unrealistic, as the Pakistan cricket team have had a reasonably good lead up into the running of this tournament at home, with series victories against South Africa and Australia in the ODI series at their home turf.
Since the disastrous campaign of the 2023 world cup which saw Pakistan lose 5 of its 9 matches, the team has retained its core of Babar, Rizwan, Shaheen, Rauf and Fakhar. With expected first team starter Naseem Shah also back in the mix. Saud and Agha have received the recall, and new additions in the form of Hasnain, Tayyab, Usman Khan will ger their opportunity to feature for the first time representing the national side in an ICC event. Khushdil Shah and Faheem Ashraf have both been drafted in based on recent form and performances at the Bangladesh Premier League. With Aqib Javed and his selection committee doing most of the thinking in terms of what tools they wish to use for their success strategy, one must question as to how have Pakistan decided to address key issues that troubled them during the last event in similar conditions to home? Captain Mohammad Rizwan claims to not be a ‘follower’ in what modes and methods are trending in world cricket and would rather focus on a ‘process’ that creates champion teams (having won 1 PSL tournament). His big opportunity to show the fans a ‘process’ will be put to the sword with New Zealand already dismantling the home side twice (continuing a long streak of recent domination against Pakistan with their full-strength sides in white ball cricket), and with the archrival India who are stacked in resources also issuing the challenge to Pakistan in unfamiliar territory to both. Bangladesh also cannot be ruled out having embarrassed and schooled Pakistan in the two match Test series earlier last year; their bowlers will fancy their chances to cause another upset against a side who they have had the wood over recently due to a better exploitation of conditions than the home team’s bowlers. Group A promises to be a blockbuster group with a lot resting on each fixture. It could be argued that the three in form sides ODI of world cricket (Pakistan, India and New Zealand) are featuring in group A, whilst the three sides struggling to keep their first XI players fit and suspect against spin are stuck in a group with the dangerous Afghanistan.
With Pakistan’s recently improved results in ODI cricket (especially in away conditions), there are some positives going into this tournament that should help Pakistan to defend their current Champion’s Trophy title.
1. Big Match Fakhar back in the side and looking in good touch.
Coming back from a recent injury break, and some controversy surrounding his issues with the PCB, the one-man army and the champion batter returns to Pakistan colors with good outings in franchise cricket (ILT20) and with a couple of good performances in the Tri series at home. Fakhar being in the form and mindset that he is currently in is pivotal for Pakistan’s chances to retain the trophy, having began his career in this tournament and playing a major role in Pakistan winning it the last time. Group stalwarts India and New Zealand know the importance of Fakhar’s wicket as he is a proven match winner who will most certainly stand in their way for group qualification. The tracks at home are expected to allow Batsman to express themselves, and Fakhar knows his responsibility. He will know that he cannot expect any of his team mates to match his aggression and intensity, and therefore his own approach cannot also be hampered because Pakistan must set totals that will challenge if they are to bat first, and he must also set the tone in pace whilst chasing what could be totals in excess of 340 runs, requiring 7 runs per over from the outset. Fakhar’s recent form in the ILT20 will also be of key importance to Pakistan as he is a player that is aware of the current conditions in Dubai, a venue that could feature 1 if not 2 of Pakistan’s most important matches in this tournament.
2. Batters with domestic knowledge an integral part of the line up and squad
One of the components of the 2023 world cup squad and the lead up to it was the absence of seasoned domestic batters from all formats not being a part of a side that depended mainly on the middle order of Babar and Rizwan. The Pakistan management have given reasonable game time and international exposure to newcomers such as Kamran Ghulam, Tayyab Tahir and Salman Agha who has been thriving off late in the number 5 position. Saud Shaqeel undoubtedly a class Test batter with a lot of promise in white ball cricket still looking to find himself, and Usman Khan waits on the wings having been the most dominant batter in the 50 over domestic champions cup tournament. With the players having the knowledge required of the pitches at home, these batters have the added responsibility pf ensuring that the team can produce the resistance that is required to ensure Pakistan remain competitive.
3. Rizwan’s luck as a leader, generally a good win/loss ratio in favor of Pakistan.
Whether it is luck or a genuine process that is successful, there is no doubt that Muhammad Rizwan has been on the end of better results in his 50 over captaincy tenure with historic wins such as the Australia away series win after 2 decades. Having won 8 ODI games out of 12 matches since being appointed captain boasting of a strong win percentage, the Pakistan skipper will pray to continue his good run requiring potentially another 4 out of 5 wins to lift the ICC Champion’s trophy.
4. Pakistan’s improved ability to look after the ball (balls) in recent history.
The 2023 world cup and the lead up to it showed Pakistan’s impotency as a fast-bowling unit if the track wasn’t offering much assistance due to their placid nature. However, recent performances in South Africa and now in Pakistan have shown glimpses of an art that was crafted by the legendary pacers of Pakistan cricket. At one point the South African megastar batter Heinrich Klaasen was left speechless as to how the Pakistan pacers have found an ability to reverse the ball so early on some venues. On a few occasions during the home tri series, it was the Pakistan seamers who were the best exponents of the reverse swing out of the three participating sides. This clearly shows that the handling of the ball has been a lot better lately, especially with the return of Aqib Javed as head coach.
5. The Salman and Rizwan chemistry is of high value. Captain and Vice-Captain standing firm for Pakistan.
Whilst the skipper has stubbornly held on to a crucial position of number 4, he has found himself a good partner in Salman Ali Agha who has become a very crucial wicket for Pakistan. The vice-captain of Pakistan has played some outstanding knocks going into this tournament, especially against the likes of South Africa who are sick of having games shelled because of Agha’s defiance. The last two matches played by Pakistan have shown that both Agha and Salman like each other’s company at a time of serious predicament, and both want to work their way out of the hole Pakistan are left in. This gives the nation hope considering both players have shown that they are willing to grit it out for Pakistan even if 3 top order wickets fall soon.
6. Spinners who offer a better chance of control instead of inconsistency in line and length.
Pakistan’s choice of spinners will be a polarizing issue for most of its fans. It remains to be seen if they have picked the right choice of spinners for this all-important duty, especially the control that is required in the middle overs, and the ability to breakthrough with partnerships building and looking to take the game away from you. For this role, Pakistan have gone ahead with Abrar Ahmed as the key bowler they hope to bank their hopes on. The positive aspect of Abrar in comparison to recently tried spinners such as Usama Mir and Shadab Khan is that Abrar Ahmed has done extensive amount of bowling in Test cricket on home soil. Abrar currently has 439 overs under his belt in Test cricket (mainly on home soil), and this experience allows him to have much better control than others whose inconsistency in line and length is most likely a result of not maintaining a discipline that is required.
Pakistan have opted for the utility of Salman Agha and Khushdil Shah to support Abrar; this will lead the assessment of the team selection and combination straight into the negatives of this team’s review. Whilst I personally feel Abrar Ahmed is a huge positive and a key bowler, everything that revolves around him can also be a huge setback in Pakistan’s attempt to retain the champion’s trophy…
(Negatives)
1. The ‘mystery’ of Abrar Ahmed not troubling the non-Asian side (New Zealand) in the group.
Abrar’s development as a white ball spinner (in ODI) has been very good with his performances in South Africa and Zimbabwe. His strength has been his ability to peg the flow of runs whilst exploiting the lack of technique and approach of some seasoned international batters on those tours. The confidence he gained from these performances also reflected in his first outing against New Zealand at Lahore, bowling particularly well to batters of the caliber of Rachin Ravendra, Kane Williamson and Daryl Mitchell in the middle overs of the first innings. However, the last two outings for Abrar at Karachi have found him wanting with South African fringe batters taking a liking to him, and New Zealand seemingly reading him much better than they did in their first match at Lahore. This is where alarm bells will be ringing for captain Rizwan and Pakistan as a nation, with the expectation that the Pakistan lead spinner MUST deliver the key knockout blows against the Kiwis, whilst the Asian sides are expected to play him better. From a Pakistan supporter’s pov, it was not pleasant to see Abrar Ahmed being easily picked off by the likes of a seriously struggling Tom Latham, and with Daryl Mitchell effortlessly nailing the flat bat square sweeps to midwicket; a complete pulverization of the threat he poses and massively deflating Pakistan’s ambitions going into the all-important match in the 19th of February. With, Pakistan fans and management must pray and hope that Abrar gets his plans right against the three sides in the group stages, or at least he can be persisted with throughout this phase, as I firmly believe Abrar will play a MASSIVE role in the semifinal fixture if Pakistan can somehow draw South Africa or Australia as their opponent. England is another side who I do not feel will be troubled much by Abrar considering they have decoded him on flat tracks in Test cricket recently (on similar tracks expected in the tournament). This is an opinion though; it could well be the complete opposite to whatever I feel on the day.
2. Team selection and Balance now posed with serious questions with Abrar’s potential ineffectiveness.
As alluded to earlier, Pakistan’s campaign depends heavily on Abrar Ahmed being trusted as the sole spinner for this tournament, whilst many of the stronger performers of the recent past have opted for more than one frontline specialist spinner. The last two matches have therefore raised serious questions considering no other spinner is sitting on reserves to either step in if needed or play as the supporting role. Also, many have continuously argued that the selection of the fast-bowling all-rounder is usually important, especially to add the extra spinner instead of picking 3 frontline seamers. There may be questions about Faheem Ashraf’s selection as the one who is picked as the fast-bowling allrounder, however his competence for this role is irrelevant if Pakistan are not bothering to use his selection for the right reasons in selecting a 2nd spinner to provide them with that balance in the sub-continent.
3. Captain’s extremely cowardly approach as a batter. Shades of the torturous Misbah ul Haq era.
This cannot be emphasized enough. The Pakistan cricket team captain must come clean and explain why he feels that he alone is allowed to play a pace that isn’t what is expected from the rest of the team in their respective batting positions. Since his appointment as the leader, and with glimpses of this approach in the Champion’s cup too, Mohammad Rizwan has habitually become a batter that completely switches himself off from the requirement of the game, almost inviting his teammates to give him the excuse to simply play selfishly and cowardly. Some recent stats:
Champion’s cup: 186 balls faced, sr 80. (poor)
Australia series: 98 balls faced, sr of 75 (not good enough)
South Africa series: 139 balls faced, sr 96.4 (respectable)
Zimbabwe series: 90 balls faced, sr 62.2 (Pathetic)
Tri series: 215 balls faced, sr 79.5 (useless)
Overall since ODI World Cup 2023: 914 balls faced in 50 over cricket, sr 78.62!! This is extremely poor going into a tournament as the captain of a side will need his side to produce scores strong enough on to challenge given that there may not be much on offer for his bowlers. A strike rate hovering around 80 is UNJUSTIFIABLE for a player that has stubbornly cried and insisted on batting in positions where he feels comfortable, whilst many players have been forced to shift around throughout the last 5 years to accommodate him. I do not believe this is a deliberate ploy and is a requirement for Pakistan cricket, unless we have conceded as a nation that is on par with associates such as Norway and Germany. My own opinion is that Rizwan masks his incompetence as a batter with this pathetic approach to bide himself enough time at the crease to find the pace of the wicket to get himself going. This is also being replicated by his friend Khushdil Shah who also needs a long time at the crease to kick off and hit the one shot he has to deep midwicket. A horrendous and rubbish approach that has been the cause of Pakistan’s downfall in the past and still being persisted with by a leader who has learned from his mentor at SNGPL. This pathetic approach will cost Pakistan.
4. No expectations from Babar Azam anymore
It’s reached the point where there are no longer any sentiments, feelings of hate or disappointment with this man. A good ODI batter (his best format), Babar seems to have completely lost his sense of belief. Pakistan is currently carrying him for the sake of it, might as well now. However, it is unclear about what kind of performance we want from Babar in the first place. Many of his critics look for the opportunity to troll him and his fans if he doesn’t reach a milestone, however the issue has always been regarding his impact with the bat more than the volume of runs he produces. Especially when he is rated as the top, premier batter of the side. A recent example of this can be seen in the tri series, where Babar Azam’s best performance in the three matches was the one where he took the initiative with Fakhar and helped set a tone for his team to chase down the massive total of 352. The contribution in volume was very small, but the impact of that contribution was monumental, as Babar’s intention from the get-go made his team believe that these runs are going to be chased! But what do Pakistan or Babar fans want from him? And what does Babat Azam want to do? Do the fans want the Babar who scores a 50 or 100 which doesn’t contribute to a Pakistan win, only so they can continue to boast about records and averages matching the progress of Virat Kohli. Or do they want a Babar who has his sights set on the team’s target rather his personal targets? What are the team’s targets though? Babar is confused. Babar fans are confused. Pakistan fans in general are confused! Babar had clear flaws against spin and swing bowling that he didn’t put in the time and effort required to address. The PCB are very fast in producing video content of Babar’s innovations against pace and spin in training sessions, yet none of this is ever seen being applied in matches.
5. Lower order ‘power hitters don’t want to do their job?
The selections of Khushdil and Faheem have raised a lot of questions and criticism, a lot of that criticism is unnecessary and not warranting cricketing merit. But the performances, intent and output displayed with the opportunities handed go on to show that maybe these two players are not only failing but failing without even attempting to do the job that was expected from them. It is still a mystery as to what Khushdil Shah views himself as when it comes to batting. A lower order hitter who religiously wishes to eat up deliveries only to play a big shot straight into the hands of the same fielders in the same regions. The continuous repetition of the same mistakes is beyond pathetic! I for one do not doubt the ability of players like Khushdil, Faheem, Iftikhar, Asif Ali etc. I would love to see more of these types of players feature in the white ball sides over guys who are not suited for the white ball formats, but there seems to be a strange reluctance by these players to continuously disappoint fans who wish to see a modernized approach to Pakistan not because of getting out cheaply, but because of the reluctance to change their methods that are simply not working for them at the international level. Regardless of the gulf in quality from the BPL to international cricket, there is simply no excuses for players like Khushdil and Faheem to not be able to bat on these tracks which are not nearly as difficult to what they are not accustomed to outside of Pakistan!
6. Mohammad Hasnain Selection? Is this the best 4th/bench seamer available for Pakistan?
Probably the most evident selection howler. There is no doubt Hasnain has done well in revitalizing his career with the investment he has made after remodeling his action. However, the recent past and the fixture against South Africa has shown a version of Hasnain that is basically back to square one; the trash bowler who hardly offers anything! In this form and the potential of hardly offering nothing as a seamer, it is bizarre to conceive how he has been selected over much better seam options such as Akif Javed, Muhammad Ali and Muhammad Waseem Jr. With Harris Rauf potentially being ruled out if his injury is aggravated once again, one shudders to think how Pakistan will fare if Hasnain is to be trusted as a bowler for the mega event on these decks.
7. The omittance of young, exciting talent in the squad that has been a hallmark of Pakistan cricket in their successful ICC campaigns.
Even against the odds, Pakistan have pulled off remarkable comebacks in ICC tournaments in the past to go on to win the tournament. With the seniors pulling their weight when needed to go on those invincible runs, what also contributed to those campaigns was the exuberance and fearlessness of youth. Be it a young Inzimam ul Haq becoming immortal against New Zealand in the semi final of the 1992 world cup, or Wasim Akram turning the game on its head against England in the final of the tournament, or an 18 year old Muhammad Amir bouncing out the player of the tournament in the final setting up the win, or even a baby Shadab Khan insisting his captain to take the review of a major white ball stalwart in the form of Yuvraj Singh! The young blood has always been a major part of Pakistan’s winning campaign and played a role that is remembered for years to come, their contributions have been iconic. I can understand the approach of picking mature players for insurance. However, I believe there should have been one, if not two exciting upcoming talents that are given a completely free run to express themselves in this tournament. Pakistan most likely wanted to give this license to a player like Saim Ayub, who is clearly their best modern batter now in reality. But this was an opportunity to take a punt with talents like Khwaja Nafay, Ali Raza of Sialkot (Baby Walsh), Arafat Minhas, Maaz Sadaqat or Hassan Nawaz.
There are possibly many more glaring issues, or strong positives that I could have listed in this review. I do not wish to repeat the same arguments regarding seamers lacking venom or penetration on these decks, or batters not matching world standards with their approach and the way they construct their innings. Playing spin is a concern for a few of these batters, and lack of threatening pace may be a concern for the seamers. This is tournament cricket however, and Pakistan’s success has always been based on finding that one invincible run at any point in the tournament which leads to glory. There is no real strategy or selection that is applied for it to click, and when it does click it blows away the strongest of opponents like it did against South Africa in Trent Bridge 2009, or against England at Cardiff 2017. It doesn’t matter if you are Shoiab Akhtar at the peak of your powers at Centurion 2003 getting assaulted into oblivion by Sachin Tendulker and co, or you are Rumman Raees picking 2-40 against a surreal England side in the 2017 semi-final. When that Pakistan red hot streak hits, the only side that will most likely stop them is Australia, who seem to have sworn to never lose to Pakistan when it truly matters. Pakistan should try to avoid them if they can, but you can’t choose who you wish to play and beat if you truly wish to be champions.
Personally, I feel that Pakistan’s reluctance to adapt to a modern strategy and the employment of a captain who is also stubbornly against modernization in cricket means that they do not deserve to win anything in white ball cricket. But who cares what I think? I think Pakistan with this approach should crash out, but Rizwan is a lucky captain so anything could happen. To predict who will win this tournament is a challenge considering its length and format. I don’t want to say who really should win it, but Pakistan given their insistence on supporting serial failures of the past means that it is now time to deliver. No more nonsense excuses, the team was built around you. 7 years on from Sarfaraz, Rizwan has NO EXCUSE to not retain the title on home turf!
Pakistan will fare if Hasnain is to be trusted as a bowler for the mega event on these decks.
Peak international white ball cricket returns to Pakistan after an ouster of 27 years with the final of the ICC world cup being played at Lahore in 1996. Much has changed in Pakistan since that wonderful day when Arjuna Ranatunga created history by leading the Sri Lankan side to their first ever world title, but the chance to recreate history at Lahore beckons once again for the 7 participants of the ICC Champions Trophy 2025, with India threatening to ruin the party with a potential final qualification in Dubai.
With ICC tournaments returning to Pakistan soil, the home side will try and assert their dominance as the host nation through the ploy of the newly appointed captain Muhammad Rizwan taking the entire nation into his confidence and approach the journey by initially downplaying his team’s chances by looking for the ‘underdog’ tag. It seems as if the weight of expectations is becoming too much to handle for the boys in green (lime green we should say), who wish to operate at a pace where they are already written off and have no expectations of finishing as the victors. The wish to be viewed in this manner is unrealistic, as the Pakistan cricket team have had a reasonably good lead up into the running of this tournament at home, with series victories against South Africa and Australia in the ODI series at their home turf.
Since the disastrous campaign of the 2023 world cup which saw Pakistan lose 5 of its 9 matches, the team has retained its core of Babar, Rizwan, Shaheen, Rauf and Fakhar. With expected first team starter Naseem Shah also back in the mix. Saud and Agha have received the recall, and new additions in the form of Hasnain, Tayyab, Usman Khan will ger their opportunity to feature for the first time representing the national side in an ICC event. Khushdil Shah and Faheem Ashraf have both been drafted in based on recent form and performances at the Bangladesh Premier League. With Aqib Javed and his selection committee doing most of the thinking in terms of what tools they wish to use for their success strategy, one must question as to how have Pakistan decided to address key issues that troubled them during the last event in similar conditions to home? Captain Mohammad Rizwan claims to not be a ‘follower’ in what modes and methods are trending in world cricket and would rather focus on a ‘process’ that creates champion teams (having won 1 PSL tournament). His big opportunity to show the fans a ‘process’ will be put to the sword with New Zealand already dismantling the home side twice (continuing a long streak of recent domination against Pakistan with their full-strength sides in white ball cricket), and with the archrival India who are stacked in resources also issuing the challenge to Pakistan in unfamiliar territory to both. Bangladesh also cannot be ruled out having embarrassed and schooled Pakistan in the two match Test series earlier last year; their bowlers will fancy their chances to cause another upset against a side who they have had the wood over recently due to a better exploitation of conditions than the home team’s bowlers. Group A promises to be a blockbuster group with a lot resting on each fixture. It could be argued that the three in form sides ODI of world cricket (Pakistan, India and New Zealand) are featuring in group A, whilst the three sides struggling to keep their first XI players fit and suspect against spin are stuck in a group with the dangerous Afghanistan.
With Pakistan’s recently improved results in ODI cricket (especially in away conditions), there are some positives going into this tournament that should help Pakistan to defend their current Champion’s Trophy title.
1. Big Match Fakhar back in the side and looking in good touch.
Coming back from a recent injury break, and some controversy surrounding his issues with the PCB, the one-man army and the champion batter returns to Pakistan colors with good outings in franchise cricket (ILT20) and with a couple of good performances in the Tri series at home. Fakhar being in the form and mindset that he is currently in is pivotal for Pakistan’s chances to retain the trophy, having began his career in this tournament and playing a major role in Pakistan winning it the last time. Group stalwarts India and New Zealand know the importance of Fakhar’s wicket as he is a proven match winner who will most certainly stand in their way for group qualification. The tracks at home are expected to allow Batsman to express themselves, and Fakhar knows his responsibility. He will know that he cannot expect any of his team mates to match his aggression and intensity, and therefore his own approach cannot also be hampered because Pakistan must set totals that will challenge if they are to bat first, and he must also set the tone in pace whilst chasing what could be totals in excess of 340 runs, requiring 7 runs per over from the outset. Fakhar’s recent form in the ILT20 will also be of key importance to Pakistan as he is a player that is aware of the current conditions in Dubai, a venue that could feature 1 if not 2 of Pakistan’s most important matches in this tournament.
2. Batters with domestic knowledge an integral part of the line up and squad
One of the components of the 2023 world cup squad and the lead up to it was the absence of seasoned domestic batters from all formats not being a part of a side that depended mainly on the middle order of Babar and Rizwan. The Pakistan management have given reasonable game time and international exposure to newcomers such as Kamran Ghulam, Tayyab Tahir and Salman Agha who has been thriving off late in the number 5 position. Saud Shaqeel undoubtedly a class Test batter with a lot of promise in white ball cricket still looking to find himself, and Usman Khan waits on the wings having been the most dominant batter in the 50 over domestic champions cup tournament. With the players having the knowledge required of the pitches at home, these batters have the added responsibility pf ensuring that the team can produce the resistance that is required to ensure Pakistan remain competitive.
3. Rizwan’s luck as a leader, generally a good win/loss ratio in favor of Pakistan.
Whether it is luck or a genuine process that is successful, there is no doubt that Muhammad Rizwan has been on the end of better results in his 50 over captaincy tenure with historic wins such as the Australia away series win after 2 decades. Having won 8 ODI games out of 12 matches since being appointed captain boasting of a strong win percentage, the Pakistan skipper will pray to continue his good run requiring potentially another 4 out of 5 wins to lift the ICC Champion’s trophy.
4. Pakistan’s improved ability to look after the ball (balls) in recent history.
The 2023 world cup and the lead up to it showed Pakistan’s impotency as a fast-bowling unit if the track wasn’t offering much assistance due to their placid nature. However, recent performances in South Africa and now in Pakistan have shown glimpses of an art that was crafted by the legendary pacers of Pakistan cricket. At one point the South African megastar batter Heinrich Klaasen was left speechless as to how the Pakistan pacers have found an ability to reverse the ball so early on some venues. On a few occasions during the home tri series, it was the Pakistan seamers who were the best exponents of the reverse swing out of the three participating sides. This clearly shows that the handling of the ball has been a lot better lately, especially with the return of Aqib Javed as head coach.
5. The Salman and Rizwan chemistry is of high value. Captain and Vice-Captain standing firm for Pakistan.
Whilst the skipper has stubbornly held on to a crucial position of number 4, he has found himself a good partner in Salman Ali Agha who has become a very crucial wicket for Pakistan. The vice-captain of Pakistan has played some outstanding knocks going into this tournament, especially against the likes of South Africa who are sick of having games shelled because of Agha’s defiance. The last two matches played by Pakistan have shown that both Agha and Salman like each other’s company at a time of serious predicament, and both want to work their way out of the hole Pakistan are left in. This gives the nation hope considering both players have shown that they are willing to grit it out for Pakistan even if 3 top order wickets fall soon.
6. Spinners who offer a better chance of control instead of inconsistency in line and length.
Pakistan’s choice of spinners will be a polarizing issue for most of its fans. It remains to be seen if they have picked the right choice of spinners for this all-important duty, especially the control that is required in the middle overs, and the ability to breakthrough with partnerships building and looking to take the game away from you. For this role, Pakistan have gone ahead with Abrar Ahmed as the key bowler they hope to bank their hopes on. The positive aspect of Abrar in comparison to recently tried spinners such as Usama Mir and Shadab Khan is that Abrar Ahmed has done extensive amount of bowling in Test cricket on home soil. Abrar currently has 439 overs under his belt in Test cricket (mainly on home soil), and this experience allows him to have much better control than others whose inconsistency in line and length is most likely a result of not maintaining a discipline that is required.
Pakistan have opted for the utility of Salman Agha and Khushdil Shah to support Abrar; this will lead the assessment of the team selection and combination straight into the negatives of this team’s review. Whilst I personally feel Abrar Ahmed is a huge positive and a key bowler, everything that revolves around him can also be a huge setback in Pakistan’s attempt to retain the champion’s trophy…
(Negatives)
1. The ‘mystery’ of Abrar Ahmed not troubling the non-Asian side (New Zealand) in the group.
Abrar’s development as a white ball spinner (in ODI) has been very good with his performances in South Africa and Zimbabwe. His strength has been his ability to peg the flow of runs whilst exploiting the lack of technique and approach of some seasoned international batters on those tours. The confidence he gained from these performances also reflected in his first outing against New Zealand at Lahore, bowling particularly well to batters of the caliber of Rachin Ravendra, Kane Williamson and Daryl Mitchell in the middle overs of the first innings. However, the last two outings for Abrar at Karachi have found him wanting with South African fringe batters taking a liking to him, and New Zealand seemingly reading him much better than they did in their first match at Lahore. This is where alarm bells will be ringing for captain Rizwan and Pakistan as a nation, with the expectation that the Pakistan lead spinner MUST deliver the key knockout blows against the Kiwis, whilst the Asian sides are expected to play him better. From a Pakistan supporter’s pov, it was not pleasant to see Abrar Ahmed being easily picked off by the likes of a seriously struggling Tom Latham, and with Daryl Mitchell effortlessly nailing the flat bat square sweeps to midwicket; a complete pulverization of the threat he poses and massively deflating Pakistan’s ambitions going into the all-important match in the 19th of February. With, Pakistan fans and management must pray and hope that Abrar gets his plans right against the three sides in the group stages, or at least he can be persisted with throughout this phase, as I firmly believe Abrar will play a MASSIVE role in the semifinal fixture if Pakistan can somehow draw South Africa or Australia as their opponent. England is another side who I do not feel will be troubled much by Abrar considering they have decoded him on flat tracks in Test cricket recently (on similar tracks expected in the tournament). This is an opinion though; it could well be the complete opposite to whatever I feel on the day.
2. Team selection and Balance now posed with serious questions with Abrar’s potential ineffectiveness.
As alluded to earlier, Pakistan’s campaign depends heavily on Abrar Ahmed being trusted as the sole spinner for this tournament, whilst many of the stronger performers of the recent past have opted for more than one frontline specialist spinner. The last two matches have therefore raised serious questions considering no other spinner is sitting on reserves to either step in if needed or play as the supporting role. Also, many have continuously argued that the selection of the fast-bowling all-rounder is usually important, especially to add the extra spinner instead of picking 3 frontline seamers. There may be questions about Faheem Ashraf’s selection as the one who is picked as the fast-bowling allrounder, however his competence for this role is irrelevant if Pakistan are not bothering to use his selection for the right reasons in selecting a 2nd spinner to provide them with that balance in the sub-continent.
3. Captain’s extremely cowardly approach as a batter. Shades of the torturous Misbah ul Haq era.
This cannot be emphasized enough. The Pakistan cricket team captain must come clean and explain why he feels that he alone is allowed to play a pace that isn’t what is expected from the rest of the team in their respective batting positions. Since his appointment as the leader, and with glimpses of this approach in the Champion’s cup too, Mohammad Rizwan has habitually become a batter that completely switches himself off from the requirement of the game, almost inviting his teammates to give him the excuse to simply play selfishly and cowardly. Some recent stats:
Champion’s cup: 186 balls faced, sr 80. (poor)
Australia series: 98 balls faced, sr of 75 (not good enough)
South Africa series: 139 balls faced, sr 96.4 (respectable)
Zimbabwe series: 90 balls faced, sr 62.2 (Pathetic)
Tri series: 215 balls faced, sr 79.5 (useless)
Overall since ODI World Cup 2023: 914 balls faced in 50 over cricket, sr 78.62!! This is extremely poor going into a tournament as the captain of a side will need his side to produce scores strong enough on to challenge given that there may not be much on offer for his bowlers. A strike rate hovering around 80 is UNJUSTIFIABLE for a player that has stubbornly cried and insisted on batting in positions where he feels comfortable, whilst many players have been forced to shift around throughout the last 5 years to accommodate him. I do not believe this is a deliberate ploy and is a requirement for Pakistan cricket, unless we have conceded as a nation that is on par with associates such as Norway and Germany. My own opinion is that Rizwan masks his incompetence as a batter with this pathetic approach to bide himself enough time at the crease to find the pace of the wicket to get himself going. This is also being replicated by his friend Khushdil Shah who also needs a long time at the crease to kick off and hit the one shot he has to deep midwicket. A horrendous and rubbish approach that has been the cause of Pakistan’s downfall in the past and still being persisted with by a leader who has learned from his mentor at SNGPL. This pathetic approach will cost Pakistan.
4. No expectations from Babar Azam anymore
It’s reached the point where there are no longer any sentiments, feelings of hate or disappointment with this man. A good ODI batter (his best format), Babar seems to have completely lost his sense of belief. Pakistan is currently carrying him for the sake of it, might as well now. However, it is unclear about what kind of performance we want from Babar in the first place. Many of his critics look for the opportunity to troll him and his fans if he doesn’t reach a milestone, however the issue has always been regarding his impact with the bat more than the volume of runs he produces. Especially when he is rated as the top, premier batter of the side. A recent example of this can be seen in the tri series, where Babar Azam’s best performance in the three matches was the one where he took the initiative with Fakhar and helped set a tone for his team to chase down the massive total of 352. The contribution in volume was very small, but the impact of that contribution was monumental, as Babar’s intention from the get-go made his team believe that these runs are going to be chased! But what do Pakistan or Babar fans want from him? And what does Babat Azam want to do? Do the fans want the Babar who scores a 50 or 100 which doesn’t contribute to a Pakistan win, only so they can continue to boast about records and averages matching the progress of Virat Kohli. Or do they want a Babar who has his sights set on the team’s target rather his personal targets? What are the team’s targets though? Babar is confused. Babar fans are confused. Pakistan fans in general are confused! Babar had clear flaws against spin and swing bowling that he didn’t put in the time and effort required to address. The PCB are very fast in producing video content of Babar’s innovations against pace and spin in training sessions, yet none of this is ever seen being applied in matches.
5. Lower order ‘power hitters don’t want to do their job?
The selections of Khushdil and Faheem have raised a lot of questions and criticism, a lot of that criticism is unnecessary and not warranting cricketing merit. But the performances, intent and output displayed with the opportunities handed go on to show that maybe these two players are not only failing but failing without even attempting to do the job that was expected from them. It is still a mystery as to what Khushdil Shah views himself as when it comes to batting. A lower order hitter who religiously wishes to eat up deliveries only to play a big shot straight into the hands of the same fielders in the same regions. The continuous repetition of the same mistakes is beyond pathetic! I for one do not doubt the ability of players like Khushdil, Faheem, Iftikhar, Asif Ali etc. I would love to see more of these types of players feature in the white ball sides over guys who are not suited for the white ball formats, but there seems to be a strange reluctance by these players to continuously disappoint fans who wish to see a modernized approach to Pakistan not because of getting out cheaply, but because of the reluctance to change their methods that are simply not working for them at the international level. Regardless of the gulf in quality from the BPL to international cricket, there is simply no excuses for players like Khushdil and Faheem to not be able to bat on these tracks which are not nearly as difficult to what they are not accustomed to outside of Pakistan!
6. Mohammad Hasnain Selection? Is this the best 4th/bench seamer available for Pakistan?
Probably the most evident selection howler. There is no doubt Hasnain has done well in revitalizing his career with the investment he has made after remodeling his action. However, the recent past and the fixture against South Africa has shown a version of Hasnain that is basically back to square one; the trash bowler who hardly offers anything! In this form and the potential of hardly offering nothing as a seamer, it is bizarre to conceive how he has been selected over much better seam options such as Akif Javed, Muhammad Ali and Muhammad Waseem Jr. With Harris Rauf potentially being ruled out if his injury is aggravated once again, one shudders to think how Pakistan will fare if Hasnain is to be trusted as a bowler for the mega event on these decks.
7. The omittance of young, exciting talent in the squad that has been a hallmark of Pakistan cricket in their successful ICC campaigns.
Even against the odds, Pakistan have pulled off remarkable comebacks in ICC tournaments in the past to go on to win the tournament. With the seniors pulling their weight when needed to go on those invincible runs, what also contributed to those campaigns was the exuberance and fearlessness of youth. Be it a young Inzimam ul Haq becoming immortal against New Zealand in the semi final of the 1992 world cup, or Wasim Akram turning the game on its head against England in the final of the tournament, or an 18 year old Muhammad Amir bouncing out the player of the tournament in the final setting up the win, or even a baby Shadab Khan insisting his captain to take the review of a major white ball stalwart in the form of Yuvraj Singh! The young blood has always been a major part of Pakistan’s winning campaign and played a role that is remembered for years to come, their contributions have been iconic. I can understand the approach of picking mature players for insurance. However, I believe there should have been one, if not two exciting upcoming talents that are given a completely free run to express themselves in this tournament. Pakistan most likely wanted to give this license to a player like Saim Ayub, who is clearly their best modern batter now in reality. But this was an opportunity to take a punt with talents like Khwaja Nafay, Ali Raza of Sialkot (Baby Walsh), Arafat Minhas, Maaz Sadaqat or Hassan Nawaz.
There are possibly many more glaring issues, or strong positives that I could have listed in this review. I do not wish to repeat the same arguments regarding seamers lacking venom or penetration on these decks, or batters not matching world standards with their approach and the way they construct their innings. Playing spin is a concern for a few of these batters, and lack of threatening pace may be a concern for the seamers. This is tournament cricket however, and Pakistan’s success has always been based on finding that one invincible run at any point in the tournament which leads to glory. There is no real strategy or selection that is applied for it to click, and when it does click it blows away the strongest of opponents like it did against South Africa in Trent Bridge 2009, or against England at Cardiff 2017. It doesn’t matter if you are Shoiab Akhtar at the peak of your powers at Centurion 2003 getting assaulted into oblivion by Sachin Tendulker and co, or you are Rumman Raees picking 2-40 against a surreal England side in the 2017 semi-final. When that Pakistan red hot streak hits, the only side that will most likely stop them is Australia, who seem to have sworn to never lose to Pakistan when it truly matters. Pakistan should try to avoid them if they can, but you can’t choose who you wish to play and beat if you truly wish to be champions.
Personally, I feel that Pakistan’s reluctance to adapt to a modern strategy and the employment of a captain who is also stubbornly against modernization in cricket means that they do not deserve to win anything in white ball cricket. But who cares what I think? I think Pakistan with this approach should crash out, but Rizwan is a lucky captain so anything could happen. To predict who will win this tournament is a challenge considering its length and format. I don’t want to say who really should win it, but Pakistan given their insistence on supporting serial failures of the past means that it is now time to deliver. No more nonsense excuses, the team was built around you. 7 years on from Sarfaraz, Rizwan has NO EXCUSE to not retain the title on home turf!
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