5 talking points from the third Australia-Pakistan ODI
The hosts comfortably chased down the visitors' total of 263
PHOTO: AFP
1- Cricket is a game of chance: A few inches. That is it. A few inches of Junaid Khan’s front foot. Somewhere in that run-up, had Junaid stretched his feet a few inches less, then Peter Handscomb would have been out on a duck. Australia would have been 45-3. It could have been different, it could have been oh so different. Instead, it’s 2-1 to Australia.
2- Asad Shafiq not fit for ODIs: Why is he still there? After 60 ODIs, his average is 25.11, his strike-rate is 67.59, his best is 84. Fawad Alam’s average is almost 40.25 and strike-rate is 74.47 and he can’t get in the side to save his life.
3- Babar Azam is one hell of a batsman: Please don’t be like your Akmal cousins. Please don’t be like your Akmal cousins and throw away your freakish talent. Azam now has 1,037 runs in 21 games. At the risk of beating a dead horse, Shafiq has 1,336 runs in 60 games; just 299 more runs in 39 more matches.
4- Someone please figure out how to dismiss Steven Smith: He shouldn’t be moving around so much, but he does. He shouldn’t be leaning across that much, but he does. He shouldn’t be leaving his leg stump unguarded, but he does. He shouldn’t be this difficult to dismiss, but he is. He should have a weakness, but he doesn’t. Steven Smith — he does what he wants. Remember when experts and pundits alike used to scoff at his poor technique? Now they can’t get enough of him.
5- Selfish players should be axed: Umar Akmal’s cover drive for six was as infuriating as it was delightful. When you can do that, when you are the country’s most natural stroke-maker, you should not be scoring 39 off 51 balls in the last 10 overs of the game. It’s one thing being circumspect, it’s another thing altogether to be playing to cement your place in the side and then getting out, once again, in the 30s.
2- Asad Shafiq not fit for ODIs: Why is he still there? After 60 ODIs, his average is 25.11, his strike-rate is 67.59, his best is 84. Fawad Alam’s average is almost 40.25 and strike-rate is 74.47 and he can’t get in the side to save his life.
3- Babar Azam is one hell of a batsman: Please don’t be like your Akmal cousins. Please don’t be like your Akmal cousins and throw away your freakish talent. Azam now has 1,037 runs in 21 games. At the risk of beating a dead horse, Shafiq has 1,336 runs in 60 games; just 299 more runs in 39 more matches.
4- Someone please figure out how to dismiss Steven Smith: He shouldn’t be moving around so much, but he does. He shouldn’t be leaning across that much, but he does. He shouldn’t be leaving his leg stump unguarded, but he does. He shouldn’t be this difficult to dismiss, but he is. He should have a weakness, but he doesn’t. Steven Smith — he does what he wants. Remember when experts and pundits alike used to scoff at his poor technique? Now they can’t get enough of him.
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5- Selfish players should be axed: Umar Akmal’s cover drive for six was as infuriating as it was delightful. When you can do that, when you are the country’s most natural stroke-maker, you should not be scoring 39 off 51 balls in the last 10 overs of the game. It’s one thing being circumspect, it’s another thing altogether to be playing to cement your place in the side and then getting out, once again, in the 30s.