Can Sharjeel Khan shed ‘fixer’, ‘unfit’ tags?

Sharjeel's impressive century in HBL PSL6 has made his case stronger for a return to the Pakistan national side

KARACHI:

Left-handed opener Sharjeel Khan was at one point Pakistan’s best opener in the T20 and ODI format, drawing comparisons with Sri Lanka legend Sanath Jayasuriya for his aggressive batting style, however, his fixing shenanigans during HBL PSL2 pushed him out of contention for a good few years.

However, the 31-year-old is back to his clean-hitting ways now and also has a clean-chit for his part in 2017 HBL PSL fixing scandal. His century for Karachi Kings on Wednesday in a losing endeavour was a sign that he is hitting peak form with the World T20 at the corner.

But the questions still linger over his fitness and the current head coach Misbahul Haq will be in a tight spot if he allows the hard-hitting opener into his playing eleven.

Since his return after serving a ban for his part in the 2017 HBL PSL fixing scandal, former chief selector Misbah has been critical of the opener’s fitness.

While people quote the example of West Indies cricketer Rakheem Cornwall whenever the debate of fitness versus cricketing potential rages, it is pertinent to remember that Misbah was one of the fittest cricketers of his time, a fact which helped him play even after turning 40.

But many believe that if Pakistan want to win 2021’s World T20, they will have to come up with something extraordinary in planning and team selection and Sharjeel’s current form in HBL PSL6 can be just what the Men in Green urgently need.

However, Misbah’s past comments over Sharjeel’s fitness may cause problems between the coach and the player, even if the new chief selector Mohammad Wasim names the left-hander in the squad for this year’s World T20.

But, Misbah’s problems won’t end by keeping Sharjeel out of the mix since Pakistan have been struggling to find a capable opener for a long time now.

With one spot reserved for all-format captain Babar Azam, Sharjeel’s most potent nemesis would be wicketkeeper-batsman Mohammad Rizwan, who has proven in the HBL PSL sixth edition that he can bat at the top with ease and also score runs.

Comparisons would be drawn between Rizwan and Sharjeel once the HBL PSL6 ends and whoever wins in the run-scoring department may just make it into the team to open alongside Babar.

Only one scenario is possible if both Sharjeel and Rizwan play the World T20 and are a part of the same playing XI, and that is if Rizwan is asked to bat at the number three or number four positions, or maybe a little lower. The reason is that Sharjeel is a text-book opener and Rizwan has proven time and again that he can float in the batting order as per need.

Sharjeel was the first-ever player to score a century in the HBL PSL, he missed a few seasons, but he is back now and is showing great promise with the bat. Many are arguing that if Mohammad Amir can be recalled into the side after serving his spot-fixing ban, then why not Sharjeel, but the others believe that the opener needs to shed a few kilos to make it into the Misbah-coached squad.

The ball is now in Sharjeel’s court to make his case strong for a return to the Pakistan T20I team, but he’ll have to score runs consistently throughout the remaining HBL PSL6 matches. His mantra will be simple, to hit the ball out of the park and make his way into the team.

Meanwhile, Misbah will have a headache if he allows an ‘unfit’ Sharjeel to play for Pakistan in the World T20. Also, he has the added pressure of returning Pakistan to winning ways bogging him down.

So, will Misbah make extra room for Sharjeel? And will Sharjeel be able to finally shed the tags of ‘fixer’ and ‘unfit’ player by helping Pakistan win this year’s World T20? Only time can tell!