‘Neil Armstrong of Cricket’

Our cricket czars must now focus on devising and ensuring a proper selection criterion.

There are 105 cricketers in the world who have smashed a century on their Test debut. There are 15 cricketers in the world who have hit a century on their ODI debut. But there is just one man — yes, just one — on the whole of the Planet Earth who has performed this feat in both Tests and ODIs. And this man belongs to Pakistan, named Abid Ali. The right-handed opening batsman had clinched his ODI debut ton against the mighty Australians at Dubai Cricket Stadium in March 2019, but failed to earn a place in the final lineup for the World Cup in July the same year. And now his Test debut ton — against Sri Lanka in the historic game that saw the revival of five-dayers in Pakistan — has come in a forceful reminder of his talent and hardwork.

Former Pakistani skipper and renowned commentator was quick to call Abid “The Neil Armstrong of Cricket” for being the first to step into an unventured area. For Shoaib Akhtar too, Abid’s is a gate-crashing entry into big cricket — something that cannot escape notice anywhere in the sports world. Abid’s outstanding feat turned an otherwise dull, rain-affected game, destined for a draw, into a genuinely memorable one. His humble self, reflected from his post-match comments, also won the hearts of experts and commoners alike. He dedicated his achievement to his daughter, acknowledged support from teammates and thanked the crowd for bucking him up.

Abid, 32, is a late entry into top cricket. His talent shows that he is not to blame for making his presence felt this late. That the not-so-young man was kept away till now poses a question mark on the faulty selection process that we have had in our country. Fawad Alam is another example in the context. Even Misbahul Haq, the former skipper and currently the chief selector-cum-headcoach, had also made it just in the nick of time. Our cricket czars, including Misbah himself, must now focus on devising and ensuring a proper selection criterion.

Published in The Express Tribune, December 17^th, 2019.

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