What 2016 has in store for Pakistan cricket

2015 wasn’t bad for Pakistan cricket but could have been better, says former test cricketer

2015 wasn’t bad for Pakistan cricket but could have been better, with a lack of fairness and sincerity from the team management and the selection committee hindering progress.

Firstly, there seemed to be little in the form of a contingency plan when Saeed Ajmal and Mohammad Hafeez became a doubt for the World Cup. No replacement, such as Yasir Shah or Zulfiqar Babar, was readied for the off-spin duo, while it was also surprising that someone of Abdur Rehman’s calibre — who has 99 wickets in only 22 Tests — was ignored throughout the year across all formats.

Secondly, Sarfraz Ahmed — who is a star in the making — was misused, and Younus Khan — one of our all-time greats —was not dealt with fairly.

Thirdly, pacers Mohammad Irfan and Junaid Khan were mishandled as well and as a result faced injury problems that had adverse effects on our bowling combination.



We also struggled to find a decent opening pair across all formats, despite it being one of the most vital roles in the batting department.

The spot-fixing scandal’s repercussions are still being felt, especially since Salman Butt, Mohammad Asif and Mohammad Amir were all incredibly talented.

Another shock for Pakistan’s dignity is that the trio are now back in the fray without being penalised by the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB). They were punished by English courts and the International Cricket Council, but what action did the PCB take against them?

We may have lost a golden opportunity to eradicate the malaise of fixing by bringing back the trio. We failed to send across a strong message and I fear that the ugly episode might be repeated some years down the line since we have perhaps conveyed that corruption can be tolerated in our system.



We have a packed schedule next year but I feel that the two most important events are the WorldT20 in India and the gruelling Test tour to England.

Let’s talk about the WorldT20 first, as we have seen that the instant format is immensely popular these days. We need major preparations for major tournaments. Skipper Shahid Afridi is a wonderful player and can change the course of any game; on his day he’s a genuine match-winner with both bat and ball, but to win any tournament you need the entire eleven to click. I hope the selectors, the captain and the coach will select a fine combination for the tournament.

The Indo-Pak clash at Dharamsala will be a high pressure game, but my advice to the team would be to approach the India game like any other, with their eyes firmly fixed on the bigger picture and the ultimate prize at stake — the winner’s trophy.



The English tour is always a tough proposition for our batting because of the seaming conditions but hopefully our team will approach the tour with determination and dedication, and the coaching staff and captain will have some useful game plans up their sleeves across all formats.

I hope Misbah will set a good example with his performances on the tour like he has done in the past. I feel the responsibility in the batting department lies with Misbah himself, Younus, Hafeez, Azhar Ali, Asad Shafiq, Ahmed Shehzad and Sarfraz in the longest format. Hopefully some youngsters will be given a chance depending on their potential and will live up to the expectations.

If Yasir is unavailable, then that will put a big dent in our bowling attack, but I hope 2016 brings success to Pakistan on and off the field, and an open secret for achieving this goal is fairness and sincerity.

The writer is a former Pakistan Test cricketer, coach and chief selector

Published in The Express Tribune, January 1^st, 2016.

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