There's been a lot of talk from Mickey and the selectors about developing bench strength in the build up to WC19, particularly in terms of batting. They've identified the need to find and develop young aggressive batsmen, and they promised young talent would be given opportunities in upcoming tours. Sounds good so far.
As the saying goes though, actions speak louder than words.
I'll start this by saying I like and respect Inzi, so this isn't a dig at him or his colleagues. I'll also add that the squad for the "Independence Cup" is pretty good overall. However, I can't help but think that the selectors have followed the trend of being bold(er) with bowling selections but somewhat more conservative with their batting selections (Babar is a notable exception). The omission of "fringe" batsmen for this tour would also suggest that we can't expect to see too many new batsmen in any of the upcoming tours.
So my question is: why is Pakistan more afraid of trying out new batsmen than they are bowlers? We've seen the selectors willing to give young bowlers a go on the international stage and succeed (think of Shadab, Hassan Ali, Rumman, Amir etc.) yet that approach does not seem to have been mirrored when it comes to batting. Why?
A couple of observations:
1. For starters, they've only selected six specialist batsmen in the squad (including Sarfaraz). Given it is a squad of 16, is that really the best the selectors could muster? What makes the squad balance all the more strange is that in terms of the playing XI the bowling line up is pretty set in stone and it is the batting which has some spaces up for grabs. Yet they only select six specialist batsmen in a squad of 16!
2. Only one "new" batsman has been brought in: Umar Amin. Now with the greatest respect, why on earth have they selected yet another anchor? His only saving grace is the fact he is a left hander. Of the six specialist batsmen, four/five will be playing very similar roles- ie. an anchoring role at a S/R of 115. Why not give some more aggressive batsmen a chance. What's there to lose?
3. I know people will mention the likes of Ashraf and Yamin etc. but I would say two things: (i) they are unlikely to feature as top order batsmen and (ii) they are all rounders. In this modern era, teams should be looking to score from ball 1, not just in the last five overs.
4. It's great to see Hafeez out of the squad, but why keep selecting Shehzad? He has shown time and again that he cannot/will not bring his "A" game to the international stage, and instead chooses to bat selfishly. This series was a perfect chance to try out a few younger alternatives, yet the selectors have taken the "safer" route. Why?
No doubt some posters will ask who should have been selected. Talat is someone that both Mickey and Azhar have praised as being a very good aggressive batsman. Sure, his bowling is undercooked but why not select him as a specialist batsman for now?
Sahibzada Farhan is another contender: he has passed every test given to him with flying colours. He is clearly someone they are keeping an eye on, yet they refuse to select him. Why hold him back?
