Written by: Waseem Abbas
Posted on: November 05, 2024 | 
Team Pakistan singing national anthem before the first One Day International (ODI) against Australia
Australia defeated Pakistan in the first One Day International match played in the Melbourne Cricket Ground on the 4th of November by two wickets. Chasing a mere 204 runs in 50 overs, Australia faltered as Pakistan's pacers brought Pakistan back into the game, but Pat Cummins ensured that the Aussies crossed the finishing line. Following massive reshuffles in Pakistan Cricket Board's inner circles and team combinations, Pakistan's first shorter format series is underway in Australia. The next two ODIs are scheduled on the 8th and 11th of November, while the T20Is are set to be played on the 14th, 16th and 18th of November. The series opener was a good start for Muhammad Rizwan's captaincy tenure. Still, it remains to be seen how Aqib Javed-led management under Mohsin Naqvi fares in the longer run with their dramatic changes in team combination.
(L to R) Muhammad Rizwan, Mohsin Naqvi, Aqib Javed and Salman Ali Agha.
Pakistan faced six consecutive humiliating defeats in the home Test season before revamping its team combination, and the spin-friendly pitches resulted in two wins against England. Sajid Khan and Noman Ali, who were not part of the team in the first Test match, were instrumental in demolishing English batting. The dramatic success against England prompted team management to change team combinations in the shorter formats as well, in the hope of a better result. The current approach does not appear to be one that will work in the long term, as many decisions are not tailored according to the team's needs.
Noman Ali and Sajid Khan after defeating England in the test series.
Firstly, if we look at the team combinations, the Aqib Javed-led selection committee has included many new faces, including Saim Ayub, Irfan Khan Niazi, Faisal Akram, Arafat Minhas, Haseeb Ullah Khan, Omair Yousuf, Kamran Ghulam amongst others in the shorter formats. Major omissions from the Australia series include Shadab Khan, Iftikhar Ahmed, Imam ul Haq, Usama Mir, Muhammad Nawaz, Saud Shakil and Fakhar Zaman (excluded over questioning why Babar Azam was dropped from the Test team in a viral tweet).
Many players in the team have been selected for formats that do not primarily suit their style of play. Two young spinners, Faisal Akram and Arafat Minhas, both talented but inexperienced, are likely to warm the bench throughout the series, as there seems to be little chance for them to get an opportunity to play in a game. Additionally, Usama Mir, a genuine turner of the ball, has been dropped from the team due to a couple of poor performances. Similarly, Saud Shakeel has been dropped, ostensibly to make room for a more aggressive player at number five. However, Kamran Ghulam has replaced him at number five in ODIs, despite batting at number three in List A cricket, with almost identical statistics as Saud. Both players have comparable batting averages, but Saud's strike rate is 85 in List A, while Kamran's is slightly better at 86.
Kamran Ghulam troubled by a quick bouncer from Pat Cummins in the first ODI
More controversial is the issue of playing top-order players in the middle, and middle-order batters in the lower order. If the first ODI is any indicator, Irfan Niazi awaits Iftikhar Ahmed's fate, as both succeeded as middle-order batters in domestic cricket, but were forced to bat at lower order in international cricket. Someone like Usman Khan could have been a good choice for the middle order position, given that he has batted in this position in the last 2 List A competitions, and has accumulated 681 runs in 12 matches at an astonishing average of 75.66 and a scintillating strike rate of 117.61. An even more debatable decision is appointing Salman Ali Agha as vice-captain of the team, in both ODIs and T20Is. Although Agha is currently in good form and is adept against spin bowling, his utility as a player in pace-friendly conditions is not yet established. He could succeed if given the opportunity at number four or five in ODIs, primarily milking on spinners, but he does not appear to be good against express fast bowlers. His bowling will also not be required in Sena conditions (England, New Zealand, Australia and South Africa), which makes it essential to question: is it wise to include him as vice-captain, which will make it necessary to play him? More baffling is the fact that the 29-year-old Lahore-born all-rounder has been made the vice-captain of team Pakistan in T20Is as well, as he is yet to make his debut in the format. He has just accumulated over 1,000 runs in T20 cricket domestically, with a meager average of 19.76 and a below-par strike rate of 118.66. It makes no sense that Aqib Javed, who used to question Muhammad Rizwan and Babar Azam's prowess in T20Is, has included Agha as vice-captain of the T20I team. Agha had a good PSL campaign with Islamabad United this year, batting at number three, but will he get the coveted number 3 position in T20Is for Pakistan, is a big question. His probability of succeeding at lower numbers is very low. Salman has also been named captain of team Pakistan in the series against Zimbabwe, scheduled after the conclusion of the Australia series, where most of the senior players have been rested.
Salman Agha playing a sweep shot against Lahore Qalandars in PSL 2024.
There are even bigger blunders in T20 team selection. Firstly, the selection of players like Omair Yousuf makes no sense, whose style of play suits longer formats, and if they drop him after a string of failures, it will do a lot of harm to his confidence. Similar is the case of Haseeb Ullah’s selection in T20Is, who is well-deservedly selected in the ODIs as well. Out of the seven specialist batters selected in the T20 team, only Irfan Niazi is a middle-order player, while the other six are openers. Playing openers in the middle order and dropping them from the team for failing in that role, would be a grave injustice. Selecting young players is crucial, but giving them ample opportunities to prove their mettle is equally important.
Babar Azam bowled by Adam Zampa in the first ODI.
The Australian team has no big surprises as they have played an almost full-strength team, barring Travis Head and Mitch Marsh who have rested from the ODI series. Young openers Jack Fraser McGurk and Matthew Short are opening for Australia, followed by regular players like Steve Smith, Marnus Labuschagne and Gleen Maxwell. Josh Inglis is playing in place of Alex Carey as the specialist wicket-keeper, while Aaron Hardie is in the team in place of injured all-rounder Cameron Green. Australia's bowling comprises of veterans like Mitch Starc, Pat Cummins, Adam Zampa and Josh Hazelwood. The world champions seem to be focused on the Champions Trophy 2025, set to be played in the ODI format in Pakistan next year.
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