Surprise, surprise! Blimey! Pakistan were able to chase a
300-plus total! Though at one point, it seemed, they were all set to blow the
wonderful partnership of Sarfraz Ahmed and Shoaib Malik. The decision to rest
the frontline bowlers, perhaps made the chase a bit easier for the Pakistani
batting line-up, and despite such an advantage, if they lost the match, then, it
would have been a disgrace.
Azhar Ali’s captaincy played a big role behind Pakistan’s
shambolic ODI series display. It might have been another tightly contested and
interesting series had Pakistan led by an attacking and thinking captain. Still
the PCB decided to continue with him. A bold move, but Ali needs to pay back
the faith invested in him.
If Ali learns from his mistakes, then it will be better for
him and his team. Otherwise, PCB’s decision to continue with him will only put
them in an embarrassing position.
The Pakistani bowling attack was found wanting throughout
the series, but the young man named Hasan Ali was impressive. He is a nippy
customer and I loved the way he lands the ball on an attacking length and moves
it in. He can be very productive bowler in the middle overs if handled
appropriately.
Pakistan do have some very good limited-overs cricketers. I
don’t understand why this team is struggling in the 50-over format. Babar Azam,
Haris Sohail, Mohammad Rizwan, Imad Wasim and this boy Hasan Ali are talented
individuals. They just need the right captain on the field to utilize them the
right way.
Sarfraz was the man again. His batting is almost
self-developed and far away from the coaching manuals. With the bat, he is not
an attractive player, but each and every stroke mean business. World cricket
has another exciting talent to relish.
Thank You
Faisal Caesar
No comments:
Post a Comment