Abdullah719
T20I Captain
- Joined
- Apr 16, 2013
- Runs
- 44,825
LAHORE: Pakistan’s dismal faring in both Tests and ODIs on the recent tours of New Zealand and Australia has posed a serious challenge to the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) which is now seriously considering dispensing with the 35-plus cricketers from all formats of the game and bringing in a new captain to infuse fresh spirit into the team.
Under the current scenario, the future of seasoned players such as Test captain Misbah-ul-Haq, Mohammad Hafeez, Younus Khan and Shoaib Malik does not look too bright at the moment.
“Yes, the presence of too many 35-plus players is emerging as one of the key reasons for Pakistan’s poor show in New Zealand and Australia and we are seriously considering to minimize the presence of overage players in the team and include youngsters in their place,” a key PCB official told Dawn on condition of anonymity.
“After playing non-stop cricket during the last six months, the fitness level of our seniors players have been badly exposed and this factor will come under serious discussion once the team returns from Australia,” the official said.
“Yes Misbah is an exceptional case because he has served Pakistan cricket a lot and the PCB will not advise him to retire from cricket. But if he makes up his mind to do so, then the PCB may consider accepting it. So among the seniors, perhaps only Misbah is at a liberty to take his decision about his retirement though he is 42 and age is really catching up with him,” the PCB official said.
“Of course the PCB, like the entire nation, is also deeply disappointed over the poor performance of the Pakistan team in New Zealand and Australia and feels it is the time to take big decisions,” the official added. “The Board feels that while it is providing every facility to the players including best coaches, equipment, care, the desired results are just not coming.”
“Our fielding, bowling and batting all have failed to come up to standard but still the PCB will stop short of blaming head coach Mickey Arthur since he has not had any time to look or assess the back up talent in the country due to constant cricket since the past six months,” the official said.
“But after the Pakistan Super League in Feb-March, the PCB think-tank will announce major decisions about the captaincy, team management and about certain cricketers which will be final,” the PCB official said.
Hafeez, who has suddenly emerged as the leading candidate for One-day captaincy after his aggressive leadership against the Aussies in the absence of Azhar Ali, is also over 36 years of age and has little time left in international cricket to be handed a major responsibility.
That enhances the chance of wicket-keeper batsman Sarfraz Ahmad to get the mantle. However, the PCB may have to think several times before taking a final decision about appointing Sarfraz whose performance as wicket-keeper has not been up to the mark of late and could further declined due to pressures of captaincy.
In fact, the PCB has no suitable candidate for Test and ODI captaincy at the moment and that is certainly a major concern for Pakistan cricket. Though Misbah was enjoying a good run in the Tests as captain before the start of the New Zealand-Australia tour, successive defeats in all the five Tests have earned the ire of critics and former players who now see Misbah approaching a dead end in career.
The prowess of Sarfraz Ahmad could not be tested in the ongoing ODI series against Australia, as he left the Pakistan team before the start of the series to look after his ailing mother, and that factor is likely to prove for him as blessing in disguise to get the captaincy.
Pakistan, who had reached world number one ranking in the ICC ratigs last Oct, has slumped to a lowly sixth spot in matter of weeks which has left the experts dubbing its earlier rise as a fluke and the result of there success only in the UAE.
At Adelaide, in the last game of the five-match ODI series against Australia, Pakistan faces the immediate task of maintaining its current 8th position in the ICC ranking in order to qualify for the World Cup 2019.
http://www.dawn.com/news/1310490/ouster-of-35-plus-brigade-on-cards-after-nz-australia-fiasco
Under the current scenario, the future of seasoned players such as Test captain Misbah-ul-Haq, Mohammad Hafeez, Younus Khan and Shoaib Malik does not look too bright at the moment.
“Yes, the presence of too many 35-plus players is emerging as one of the key reasons for Pakistan’s poor show in New Zealand and Australia and we are seriously considering to minimize the presence of overage players in the team and include youngsters in their place,” a key PCB official told Dawn on condition of anonymity.
“After playing non-stop cricket during the last six months, the fitness level of our seniors players have been badly exposed and this factor will come under serious discussion once the team returns from Australia,” the official said.
“Yes Misbah is an exceptional case because he has served Pakistan cricket a lot and the PCB will not advise him to retire from cricket. But if he makes up his mind to do so, then the PCB may consider accepting it. So among the seniors, perhaps only Misbah is at a liberty to take his decision about his retirement though he is 42 and age is really catching up with him,” the PCB official said.
“Of course the PCB, like the entire nation, is also deeply disappointed over the poor performance of the Pakistan team in New Zealand and Australia and feels it is the time to take big decisions,” the official added. “The Board feels that while it is providing every facility to the players including best coaches, equipment, care, the desired results are just not coming.”
“Our fielding, bowling and batting all have failed to come up to standard but still the PCB will stop short of blaming head coach Mickey Arthur since he has not had any time to look or assess the back up talent in the country due to constant cricket since the past six months,” the official said.
“But after the Pakistan Super League in Feb-March, the PCB think-tank will announce major decisions about the captaincy, team management and about certain cricketers which will be final,” the PCB official said.
Hafeez, who has suddenly emerged as the leading candidate for One-day captaincy after his aggressive leadership against the Aussies in the absence of Azhar Ali, is also over 36 years of age and has little time left in international cricket to be handed a major responsibility.
That enhances the chance of wicket-keeper batsman Sarfraz Ahmad to get the mantle. However, the PCB may have to think several times before taking a final decision about appointing Sarfraz whose performance as wicket-keeper has not been up to the mark of late and could further declined due to pressures of captaincy.
In fact, the PCB has no suitable candidate for Test and ODI captaincy at the moment and that is certainly a major concern for Pakistan cricket. Though Misbah was enjoying a good run in the Tests as captain before the start of the New Zealand-Australia tour, successive defeats in all the five Tests have earned the ire of critics and former players who now see Misbah approaching a dead end in career.
The prowess of Sarfraz Ahmad could not be tested in the ongoing ODI series against Australia, as he left the Pakistan team before the start of the series to look after his ailing mother, and that factor is likely to prove for him as blessing in disguise to get the captaincy.
Pakistan, who had reached world number one ranking in the ICC ratigs last Oct, has slumped to a lowly sixth spot in matter of weeks which has left the experts dubbing its earlier rise as a fluke and the result of there success only in the UAE.
At Adelaide, in the last game of the five-match ODI series against Australia, Pakistan faces the immediate task of maintaining its current 8th position in the ICC ranking in order to qualify for the World Cup 2019.
http://www.dawn.com/news/1310490/ouster-of-35-plus-brigade-on-cards-after-nz-australia-fiasco
