Written by: Waseem Abbas
Posted on: April 14, 2023 | 
| 中文
New Zealand's Glenn Phillips batting while Muhammad Rizwan and Salman Ali Agha are behind the stumps
Amid selection controversies and speculations regarding the possible change of captaincy of the national team, Pakistan has brought back the senior pros, who were rested for the three-match T20I series against Afghanistan, for the series against New Zealand. Pakistan is set to play New Zealand in a five-match T20 series, starting from April 14, which will be followed by a 5-match ODI tournament. The speculations made rounds before the team's announcement that the team management is looking to appoint either Imad Wasim or Shan Masood as the captain and vice-captain of the national team, replacing Babar Azam and Shadab Khan. As teams have been announced for the New Zealand series, no such change has been made, and rightly so.
Team Pakistan
The non-selection of left-hand all-rounder Imad Wasim in the ODI team spurred many speculations, many linking it to captain Babar Azam’s dislike of the Karachi Kings' captain. The euphoria created around Imad's performance by a section of the media was all baseless. Imad had a stellar PSL this year and was declared the best all-rounder of the tournament, which earned him a national call-up for the T20I series against Afghanistan. His performance against Afghanistan was average and he retained his place in the T20 team, but could not make it to the ODI team. The selection panel preferred Muhammad Nawaz, a left-hand all-rounder like Imad, who has a far superior ODI bowling record as compared to Imad. As the ODI world cup is scheduled in India later this year, the selection committee is looking for bowling options who could take wickets in the middle overs, while also stopping the flow of runs. And Muhammad Nawaz has precisely done that. Nawaz has 37 ODI wickets in 25 ODI matches at an average of 27.67, while Imad has 44 wickets in 55 games at a mediocre average of 44.47. Although Imad has a better batting record than Nawaz, their primary trade is bowling and the one excelling in it should get the nod over the other. Moreover, Imad played his last ODI in November 2020 and a List-A game in March 2022, and he mostly focused on T20 leagues. With the World Cup closing in, using media influence to pressurize the selectors to get selected would become a bad precedent. Shadab Khan, the vice-captain of the team, and Usama Mir are the other spin bowling options available to Pakistan, and therefore, there is no need for recourse to Imad.
Kane Williamson and Usama Mir
Other selection-related news that made a buzz on social media is the inclusion of Shan Masood in both squads. With Pakistan claiming to be modernizing its game to the demands of the present day, Shan's selection, especially in T20Is with a strike rate of 121 in T20Is and 125 in T20s, is baffling. With anchors like Rizwan and Babar at the top, Shan's probability of finding a place in the playing eleven is non-existent. Power hitters like Fakhar Zaman and Iftikhar Ahmed, along with young fearless batters like Saim Ayub and Muhammad Harris, will occupy the middle order positions. What Pakistan is lacking is a destructive lower-order player who could demolish the opponents in the last phase of the game, and someone like Khushdil Shah or Asif Ali, despite their obvious shortcomings, could be better alternatives. Shan is also included in the ODI team, who has so far played only six ODI games.
Mitchell Santner stands while Fakhar and Rizwan run for runs, on Jan 13, 2023
Pakistan has backed Haris Sohail, the left-hand stylish middle-order batter to prove his worth. Pakistan is looking for him to play at number four or five in the ODI World Cup later this year, which is a good move, given that Haris can play both spin and fast equally well, and can rotate the strike while also possessing the quality to hit the ball out of the park. Harris, who played the 2015 and the 2019 ODI World Cups as well, could have finished as a Pakistan great had a string of fitness-related issues not dented his career. This series will be a test case for Haris, and if he consolidates his position, Pakistan’s top four is set for the World Cup (WC), with Imam-ul-Haq, Fakhar Zaman and Babar Azam occupying the top order. Pakistan's concern going into the WC looks to be the power-hitting positions (no 6 and 7), where we lack firepower, as Shadab and Nawaz, although they can bat but they cannot be called power hitters. Someone like Iftikhar Ahmed, Khushdil Shah, Muhammad Harris, or even Asif Ali could have filled this role. However, the selection committee has decided to go with Shan Masood and Abdullah Shafiq, both primary openers, who can also bat in the middle order and are known for their calm and composed game. Ideally, one of them could have made way for a power hitter. Salman Ali Agha is also in the squad, who is a batting all-rounder from Lahore, and how this experiment fares and whether it is a long-term investment, is yet to be seen.
Usama Mir celebrates his wicket against New Zealand in Jan 2023
Shaheen Afridi is back in the team after recovering from the injury that he sustained in the 2022 T20 World Cup. With Afridi back in the fold, Pakistan's fast bowling looks imperious, with Naseem Shah, Harris Rauf, Zaman Khan, Ehsanullah and Muhammad Wasim Junior, who can all clock 145 kph. It is a good omen for the Pakistan team going forward for the World Cup. The likes of Muhammad Hasnain, Shah Nawaz Dahani, Hasan Ali, Abbas Afridi and Muhammad Amir are competing for an opportunity to get selected.
Team Pakistan against Afghanistan in March 2023
New Zealand is without many of their regular players. Captain Kane Williamson has injured his knee and is out of the team for at least five to six months, and it is less probable that he will be fit for the ODI WC later this year. Regular Kiwi players like Tim Southee, Glenn Phillips, Lockie Ferguson, Trent Boult, Devon Convey, Fin Allen and Mitchel Santaner amongst others, are not taking part in this series, as they are playing the lucrative Indian Primer League (IPL). New Zealand has permitted them to leave national duties for a league on the pretext of acclimatizing them to Indian conditions, where the World Cup is to be played. The command of the inexperienced team has been handed to Tom Latham, who has the services of James Neesham, Daryl Mitchel, Ish Sodhi and Adam Milne at his disposal. It will not be an easy series for Pakistan and will require them to execute their plans for getting the desired results, although they are clear favorites in both ODIs and T20Is.
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