Why Sharjeel Khan can be successful in Tests for Pakistan
Allowing the southpaw to 'play his natural game’ will provide him space to unfurl his talent with an uncluttered...
Sharjeel can be the breath of fresh air at the top of the order that Pakistan need in Tests. PHOTO: AFP
KARACHI:
The new millennium brought along big changes and like most spheres of life cricket too has evolved rapidly in the last 15 years or so with many traditional theories, techniques, styles and mantras replaced by fresh ideas and approach.
Test match batting especially in the traditionally tough opening slots has almost gone through a revolution — since the dawn of the new millennium — with willow wielders like Virender Sehwag, Chris Gayle, Sanath Jayasuria, Matthew Hayden and Justin Langer instilling a fear in their opposition’s ranks rather than getting intimated by new-ball bowlers, these men shredded new-ball attacks sending them into leather hunts.
These daring openers intimated the bowlers sending for a toss the age-old adage of openers fighting for their lives against raging new-ball bowlers.
While the leading teams expanded their batting by adventurous approach at the top of the innings Pakistan preferred conventional openers after the prolific pair of Saeed Anwar and Aamir Sohail faded away at the dawn of the new millennium.
In the last decade and a half, Pakistan tried a whole host of openers — Imran Farhat, Taufeeq Umar, Imran Nazir, Mohammad Waseem, Salman Butt, Shahid Afridi, Saleem Elahi, Mohammad Hafeez, Shan Masood, Khurram Manzoor and Nasir Jamshed — but barring Afridi, Hafeez and Nazir none of the openers managed a strike rate of more than 50, a benchmark for ‘positive Test batting’.
Nazir was strangely restricted to a frugal eight Test appearances and never donned the whites after the infamous Sharjah Test of 2002 where Pakistan were folded for scores of 59 and 53 against Australia —his second innings contribution of 16 was the top score for the innings.
Afridi toyed with attacks in the late-order during his cameo Test career, even as an opener he played some scintillating knocks at a healthy strike rate in excess of 70.
But more than the management or selectors, Afridi’s disinterest in the long format potentially cost a truly rewarding career in the mould of the ‘new millennium’ slayers at the top of the innings.
Fast forward to 2016, most of the swashbuckling openers have left the scene, at present David Warner is the only one carrying the baton, Sri Lanka have tried Kusal Perera at the top-slot but batted him at number three in their latest Test against Zimbabwe.
England, South Africa, New Zealand and India still possess relatively free-scoring openers though and among the leading teams only Pakistan have what can be termed a stoic pair at present in the shape of Sami Aslam and Azhar Ali.
But for the tour to New Zealand, Pakistan selectors have finally realised the need to move with the present times and they must be lauded for their bold decision of selecting hard-hitting opener Sharjeel Khan in the Test squad against the Black Caps.
Sharjeel has been a breath of fresh air since his return to the white ball formats earlier this year. The Hyderabad-born has played some scintillating knocks in both ODIs and T20Is, each time forcing the opposition on the back foot with his own impressive back foot play. He has reached the 50 mark for a combined total of four times — three half-centuries and one century — Pakistan have won three of those games.
At the first-class stage, Sharjeel has had a rewarding career thus far — 76 matches, 4,853 runs, 37.91 average, and 81.48 strike rate — a career best of 279 is an indication of the ability of building big innings despite his penchant for big hits and free scoring. The burly basher of the cricket ball has already accumulated 11 centuries in the four-day format.
In the ongoing Quaid-e-Azam trophy, Sharjeel posted scores of 96 against Lahore and an unbeaten 82 off 68 balls to guide his UBL team to a thumping win over Peshawar.
Sharjeel can be Pakistan’s answer to the Australian opener David Warner, the latter made an indelible mark in the white ball formats for nearly three years before his Test debut in December 2011, since then he has taken to the format like the proverbial duck to water — 54 matches, 4,669 runs, 48.63 average, 77.29 strike rate — the diminutive batsman built like a middle-weight category boxer has already a whopping 16 Test centuries to his name.
No one knows if Sharjeel will emulate, outdo or fall well short of Warner’s exploits yet the selectors’ gamble to hand him the Test cap needs to be backed for now. The southpaw has enormous potential but like any batsman there are some chinks in his armoury that can put his credentials to a real test.
Sharjeel’s detractors feel that the moving ball in New Zealand can expose his vulnerable technique but the fact of the matter is that even the most obdurate and technically efficient Pakistan batsmen have found the hopping ball almost impossible to deal with.
Sharjeel needs to play his natural see-ball-hit-ball game and of course at the same time needs to be judicious with his shot selection. How quickly he adapts and tightens up on his technique that will be the foil for his attacking instincts is a question that would be asked in the immediate aftermath of his debut.
As a potentially game-changing Test debut beckons, Sharjeel must get total backing of the captain, coach, selectors, Test cricket fan club and the often short-sighted media men. Let Sharjeel ‘play his natural game’ and be patient so as to provide him the space to unfurl his talent with an uncluttered mind.
The new millennium brought along big changes and like most spheres of life cricket too has evolved rapidly in the last 15 years or so with many traditional theories, techniques, styles and mantras replaced by fresh ideas and approach.
Test match batting especially in the traditionally tough opening slots has almost gone through a revolution — since the dawn of the new millennium — with willow wielders like Virender Sehwag, Chris Gayle, Sanath Jayasuria, Matthew Hayden and Justin Langer instilling a fear in their opposition’s ranks rather than getting intimated by new-ball bowlers, these men shredded new-ball attacks sending them into leather hunts.
Sharjeel ‘ready’ to don whites for Pakistan
These daring openers intimated the bowlers sending for a toss the age-old adage of openers fighting for their lives against raging new-ball bowlers.
While the leading teams expanded their batting by adventurous approach at the top of the innings Pakistan preferred conventional openers after the prolific pair of Saeed Anwar and Aamir Sohail faded away at the dawn of the new millennium.
In the last decade and a half, Pakistan tried a whole host of openers — Imran Farhat, Taufeeq Umar, Imran Nazir, Mohammad Waseem, Salman Butt, Shahid Afridi, Saleem Elahi, Mohammad Hafeez, Shan Masood, Khurram Manzoor and Nasir Jamshed — but barring Afridi, Hafeez and Nazir none of the openers managed a strike rate of more than 50, a benchmark for ‘positive Test batting’.
Sharjeel in Pakistan squad for New Zealand tour
Nazir was strangely restricted to a frugal eight Test appearances and never donned the whites after the infamous Sharjah Test of 2002 where Pakistan were folded for scores of 59 and 53 against Australia —his second innings contribution of 16 was the top score for the innings.
Afridi toyed with attacks in the late-order during his cameo Test career, even as an opener he played some scintillating knocks at a healthy strike rate in excess of 70.
But more than the management or selectors, Afridi’s disinterest in the long format potentially cost a truly rewarding career in the mould of the ‘new millennium’ slayers at the top of the innings.
Sharjeel in Pakistan squad for New Zealand tour
Fast forward to 2016, most of the swashbuckling openers have left the scene, at present David Warner is the only one carrying the baton, Sri Lanka have tried Kusal Perera at the top-slot but batted him at number three in their latest Test against Zimbabwe.
England, South Africa, New Zealand and India still possess relatively free-scoring openers though and among the leading teams only Pakistan have what can be termed a stoic pair at present in the shape of Sami Aslam and Azhar Ali.
But for the tour to New Zealand, Pakistan selectors have finally realised the need to move with the present times and they must be lauded for their bold decision of selecting hard-hitting opener Sharjeel Khan in the Test squad against the Black Caps.
Sharjeel Khan to stick to wham-bam batting style
Sharjeel has been a breath of fresh air since his return to the white ball formats earlier this year. The Hyderabad-born has played some scintillating knocks in both ODIs and T20Is, each time forcing the opposition on the back foot with his own impressive back foot play. He has reached the 50 mark for a combined total of four times — three half-centuries and one century — Pakistan have won three of those games.
At the first-class stage, Sharjeel has had a rewarding career thus far — 76 matches, 4,853 runs, 37.91 average, and 81.48 strike rate — a career best of 279 is an indication of the ability of building big innings despite his penchant for big hits and free scoring. The burly basher of the cricket ball has already accumulated 11 centuries in the four-day format.
In the ongoing Quaid-e-Azam trophy, Sharjeel posted scores of 96 against Lahore and an unbeaten 82 off 68 balls to guide his UBL team to a thumping win over Peshawar.
Sharjeel joins Leicestershire for NatWest T20 Blast
Sharjeel can be Pakistan’s answer to the Australian opener David Warner, the latter made an indelible mark in the white ball formats for nearly three years before his Test debut in December 2011, since then he has taken to the format like the proverbial duck to water — 54 matches, 4,669 runs, 48.63 average, 77.29 strike rate — the diminutive batsman built like a middle-weight category boxer has already a whopping 16 Test centuries to his name.
No one knows if Sharjeel will emulate, outdo or fall well short of Warner’s exploits yet the selectors’ gamble to hand him the Test cap needs to be backed for now. The southpaw has enormous potential but like any batsman there are some chinks in his armoury that can put his credentials to a real test.
Sharjeel’s detractors feel that the moving ball in New Zealand can expose his vulnerable technique but the fact of the matter is that even the most obdurate and technically efficient Pakistan batsmen have found the hopping ball almost impossible to deal with.
Sharjeel needs to play his natural see-ball-hit-ball game and of course at the same time needs to be judicious with his shot selection. How quickly he adapts and tightens up on his technique that will be the foil for his attacking instincts is a question that would be asked in the immediate aftermath of his debut.
As a potentially game-changing Test debut beckons, Sharjeel must get total backing of the captain, coach, selectors, Test cricket fan club and the often short-sighted media men. Let Sharjeel ‘play his natural game’ and be patient so as to provide him the space to unfurl his talent with an uncluttered mind.